Matryoshka
by nostalgicSpacetard
Summary: After helping a girl and naming her Eri, Gumi found out the girl's an illegal Vocaloid; an Imitation. The Imitations are an enemy to the Vocaloid Corp., a war's about to start, and the faith of everyone lies upon Eri's hands. Which side will Eri choose?
1. Chapter 1

Inspired by the song Matryoshka sang by Hatsune Miku & Megpoid Gumi. NOT based on the song.

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Chapter 1

**Gumi**

I was hurrying down the mountain on my bicycle as the first drops of rain were starting to fall. It had been a rainy week and my daily routine of riding my bike often got interrupted by it.

"Oh, crap, oh crap, oh crap!" I was going too fast and the handles were shaking uncontrollably. "This is definitely not good…" As I made my way down the rocky road, the rain got worse and it soon made the dirt turn muddy. My bicycle was refusing to go on and I had to get off and annoyingly walk through what was left of the road to town.

"Great, now my boots are covered in mud." I whined as I looked down to my now ruined boots. "Times like this make me want to have a hover board…" I took another step forward and slipped, making me fall on my behind and making the bicycle fall on me.

"Great, just great!" I abruptly pushed the bicycle off of me and it fell to the ground. "Now I'm covered in dirt!" I groaned, got up and tried to wipe my butt clean. As I did, I noticed in the distance someone lying on the middle of the road. It was a little hard to see since the rain was getting heavier by the minute, but I stared for a few seconds until I came to the conclusion that the person was probably unconscious.

I leaned forward, taking my bicycle on both handles and walked towards the unconscious person. When I got closer, I noticed it was a girl. She was laying face down and was wearing a gray coat with purple edges. Her white curls covered her face. I stood there for a moment, trying to make up my mind to whether or not help her.

"Hey," I finally called out. "You okay there?" No response.

"Hey!" I shouted, kneeling in front of her. No response. She was really unconscious, no doubt about that.

_What in the world happened to her?__**, **_I asked myself as I stretched my hand towards her face, slowly grabbing a strand of hair that covered almost half of her cheek and moved it to the side. My heart threatened to go up my throat when I saw her open red eye.

_What the…!_, I mentally shouted as the bicycle left my hand and fell again to the ground.

"You okay…?" I managed to ask. She just kept staring at me without answering. "Hey, why don't you respond? What are you doing laying here in the middle of the road?"

She refused to answer any of my questions and just laid there, she didn't move at all. I was getting a little annoyed but I thought about the situation for a second. She might be hurt somewhere and can't move. But either way that's no reason to stay quiet about it, though I couldn't blame her for it. She must be scared.

I just kept quiet as I took her right arm and placed it around my shoulders and helped her up. "Wow, you're heavy," I jokingly said, though I truly wished I was joking. She weighed a ton! It made me groan a few times before finally standing up straight. I walked towards the city, leaving the bicycle behind. I couldn't carry both at the same time so I'll just come back for it after I get her some help.

It was a long way back to the city and the fact that she couldn't move didn't help either. At some point, I had to get her on my back and carry her that way. After about ten to fifteen minutes, I could finally see the white metal gate at the end of the road.

"Almost there…" I announced. When I got to the gate, I pressed my right hand on it until blue lines appeared and worked their way through it in less than a second. The gate opened after that. That's how it works. No keys, no waiting for someone to open them, you just had to place your hand on it. Of course, it only works if you're a citizen.

I went in, still with the girl on my back. As the gate closed, the white flash appeared. It was the scanner. If you weren't from around here, it would quickly trigger the alarm. I only remember one time it happened, someone not from this city was trying to get in. The corporation didn't talk much about the incident which made some people speculate that the person trying to get in was a spy. At first I thought it was ridiculous, but some time ago, I saw someone rather strange in front of the gate. It was a guy with white hair who wore black. As I got closer, he noticed me and made a run for it. After that I began doing my own little research. Apparently, from what people said, it was a spy from another corporation, but an illegal one, making illegal Vocaloids. Their reason for making them was unknown but the rumors died shortly after a few days and everyone forgot about it including me. Until now that is.

The streets were deserted. I'm a little new so the place where I live isn't that crowded yet. But it still looks clean, not like in other sections of the city. The streets are still the color gray and the sidewalks are still white. Bad thing is that the sidewalks tend to get slippery when it's raining. From my balcony I sometimes stare down at the street and laugh at all people who fall when it's raining. It was a long walk from the gate to the building where my apartment was. My legs were threatening to bend and make me fall on my knees.

The rain didn't stop. It only got worse and I couldn't see too far away but from where I was, I could finally see the silhouette of my building. This is as far as I can go. The hospital is twenty minutes away if I walk.

"Why the heck did they sent me to the seventeenth floor when the first one is inhabited?" I whined as I finally arrived at my room.

I left the girl in the living room resting on the couch. I also took her wet clothes off and replaced them with dry ones. Didn't want her to get sick. I went and took a bath, making myself warm with the hot water and changed into my pajamas. It was still five in the afternoon but I was sure the rain wasn't going to stop any time soon and I wasn't planning on going out either.

I went to the refrigerator and drank a little carrot juice before going to the living room to check on the girl. She was still asleep.

_I wonder what could've happened to h__er. She couldn't move a muscle…_

I got sleepy around eight after eating a bowl of ramen. I went to check on the girl again, making sure she was alright and placed a bed sheet on her to make her warm. The night was getting colder, and I went to my room and threw myself to bed. I clapped two times and the lights went off.

Someone was knocking on the door. I rolled to my left and looked at the clock as I yawned, 5:26 AM.

_What the?__! It's five in the morning!_, I closed my eyes and decided to stay in bed. I was too lazy and sleepy to get up and go check who it was. But the knocking continued. Not even covering my ears with the pillow helped. I groaned and got up heading straight to the door and opened it.

"What?" I furiously asked. The person in front of me grinned and I wiped my eyes clean to get a better view of the person's face. "I've seen you before…" I tried remembering where I've seen him but my memory failed me.

"Indeed you have." My eyes widened at hearing his voice. The pitch was awful and it sounded way too high. It almost made my ears hurt. Then, suddenly, I remembered. He was the guy I had seen in front of the gate.

I looked at him again. His white spiky hair and his black clothes confirmed it. I gasped as I realized he wasn't from this city. I quickly took the door and tried slamming it shut but he caught it before it closed. I quickly took two steps back as I saw him enter.

"What do you want?" I could hear the beating of my heart loud in my ears. I was almost sure he could hear it too as he chuckled.

"You don't have to be so scared. I'm not going to harm you…" He smiled, letting me know the lie in what he said. He took a step forward and I took a step back.

"S-stay away from me!" I shouted as I threw my fist at his face, only to have him grab it with his right hand.

"Not bad, not bad," he grinned and grabbed my throat with his other hand, raising me up. My feet no longer touched the floor and I struggled to free myself from his grasp.

He tightened his grip around my neck and I groaned. I started kicked the air and punched his arm but nothing seemed to make him release me. I was starting to run out of air.

"Look at me," he ordered. I did as he told me and looked at his face, straight at his red gleaming eyes. For the tiniest second I saw them turn white.

"Ah, Gumi. Megpoid Gumi is it?" he asked but I couldn't even talk. I was starting to loose consciousness. My feet turned numb and I dropped my arms to my sides. "I'm Dell, it was nice meeting you." My eyelids got heavy and as I struggled to keep them open and keep myself alive, I saw a hand grabbing the arm he was seizing my neck with. His mocking smile disappeared.

"What the…?" he looked at the person, eyes growing large. Before he could say a word, his arm got crushed into pieces. I fell to the floor, desperately searching for air. Half of his arm fell on the floor beside me along with screws and cables of different sizes and colors. He screamed in pain. My eardrums felt as if they might explode.

When I came to my senses, he was gone. The last thing I saw was a pair of feet in front of me before I passed out.

I woke up, feeling as if I couldn't breath. I desperately looked around searching for the guy who wanted to kill me but there was no sign of him. I was still on my bed. I looked to the clock beside me and it read 8:07 AM.

_A dream… It was just a dream…_ I repeated in my head, trying to calm my uneasiness. I got out of bed and headed to the living room to check on the girl. Instead, I found myself looking at an arm lying on the floor. I screamed.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Dell**

"Damnit! Who the hell was she?" I shouted, making the driver flinch. "Would you hurry up and get to HQ already?" I punched the back of the driver's seat, which made him step on the gas.

The driver turned left, making the truck go into the forest and then stop. He searched for his phone in his pocket and made the entrance call. About three minutes went by before the truck started descending into the earth. It was a slow process which often irritated me and especially now that my arm had been crushed to pieces and needed a replacement. It had never happened before, no human or Vocaloid could ever crush any part of my body.

The gates closed above us as the truck descended into the tunnel and into HQ. I wasn't going to wait for the car to get to the floor so I just kicked the passenger door, breaking it and making it land twenty feet away and crushing one of the technicians working on a computer. I guess I killed him. No matter, he can be replaced.

I jumped and landed on my right foot as I saw a red headed idiot running up to me. "Dell! What happened?" SF-A2 Miki gazed in shock at the wires coming out of my crushed arm. She has an annoying little crush on me which often got to the point where I'd send her to hell.

"I can fix you! Let me help!" She came closer and I pushed her away.

"No you can't. Just because you work assisting the mechanics doesn't mean you're good at it! You're just a useless piece of moving metal that can't do anything right. Now leave me alone, I'm not in the mood for your stupidity." I walked past her and entered the elevator, searching for my box of cigarettes in my pocket. As the doors closed, I saw her shrieking when her left arm fell off. I rolled my eyes.

**SF- A2 Miki**

I shrieked as some technicians came to my aid when my arm fell off. From the corner of my eyes I saw Dell entering the elevator and searching in his pocket for his box of cigarettes. I hate it that he smoked but still… I will make him stop smoking when he and I get together.

"You okay there, miss?" One of the technicians asked as he placed a toolbox on the floor beside him.

"Yeah, yeah, just fix my arm already," I sighed. The technician flinched a little as he heard my voice but he quickly picked up my arm and attached it to my shoulder, making sure that this time the screws were tight. While he did, my eyes wandered back to the elevator where Dell had gone, my mind suddenly starting to zone out and I was taken back, to that first time I met Dell.

_My eyes opened instantly. I searched for the last thing I saw before I got shut down, and I remembered. _

"_You're very special and unique because you are different. You are the first Vocaloid automaton ever created." Master told me as he smiled very warmly at me. I was very happy that he was pleased with me. "What's your name?" he asked. _

_I mouthed Sf- A2 Miki. It was strange. Words were supposed to come out. I tried saying my name again but it was the same. Nothing. _

_I remember how the men in white coats around us frowned. Their smiles leaving their faces. I looked at Master and saw that he signaled some men behind me. I wanted to ask him what was wrong but that's the last thing I remember. Master's disappointed look as I got shut down._

_I was now inside a container. I could see the night sky and the stars shining brightly through the glass that kept me in. Someone walked into view and I could see a guy with white hair that wore a white coat. He kneeled beside the container I was in and slightly taped on it. His eyes were shining red. I blinked, confused at what he was trying to do. The glass suddenly opened and I heard him talk._

"_You okay there?" he asked as he stood and extended his hand towards me. I could recall seeing him before at the lab and I hesitated. "Don't worry, I saved you." He assured with a warm smile._

"I'm done, miss." The technician announced as he noticed that I wasn't quite with him at the moment. I came back to reality.

"Oh, thank you." I said as I went back to the vehicle I was repairing, leaving the technician behind as he gathered up his tools. I sighed as I grabbed the screw driver and threw myself under the war tank, my mind spacing out once again.

Dell had saved me. I was being transported to the junkyard to get my metal recycled. He was a spy that had infiltrated the Vocaloid Corporation and he was there disguised as a human scientist to get information on how they created the Vocaloids. He saw how they shut me down and he immediately went to my aid, leaving the lab along with the only opportunity he had of getting the information he needed. He even tried to fix my vocal chords. Although my voice is horrible, he managed to at least give me a voice. He was so nice back then…

Someone started the engines of a truck near by, making me jump from the sudden noise and hit my head with the screw driver I was holding.

"OW!" I yelped.

**Dell**

I went down to the eighth floor and entered the lab where countless scientists worked on the Imitations. There were at least a hundred containers across the room and numerous computers monitoring them. In the middle of the room, I saw the manager Lily.

"Dell! What in the world happened to your arm?" she shouted, making all eyes turn to gaze at my broken arm. I could feel a sweat drop forming on my forehead.

"Calm down, calm down, I'm okay if that's what you were wondering," I sat down on a chair as she signaled some scientists to come and fix my arm. She was the manager but she was so useless. Though I don't blame her for it, she's human.

"Did you get the data from the Vocaloids?" She asked as she sat down in front of me, throwing back a strand of hair that covered half of her face, only to have it fall down again.

"Yeah, I found some stray Vocaloids, but I got one in particular that you might be interested in." I proudly announced. She smiled.

"Let's see that data then," she signaled a scientist to get the transferring cable. When he did, he came back and attached it to the back of my head. My eyes grew wide and turned white for a few moments until the data had been transferred to the computer system, making me loose eyesight and consciousness for a few seconds. When the data had been transferred completely, the scientist detached the cable and I came back. Lily was already checking the computer.

"Megpoid Gumi… Interesting… She might make a worthy Imitation…" she thought out loud and turned back to face me. "And can you explain what happened to your arm?" Her tone revealed a little frustration. She couldn't believe that my arm got crushed. Neither could I.

"Look, when I got Megpoid's data, there was this girl that appeared out of nowhere and crushed it. Happy?" I answered, feeling slightly embarrassed about it.

"You got your arm crushed by a girl?" The blonde held her laughter in, revealing just the tiniest grin. But then her seriousness came back.

"What?" I asked, glaring.

"That girl… describe her." She ordered. I can't stand being ordered around by a mere human. Who the hell put her in charge anyways?

"What do you want me to describe? I barely saw her face!" I shouted. She flinched and some of the scientists brought their hands to their ears.

"Calm down, calm down!" she ordered.

"So? Care to explain?"

"Fine… I think I know who she might be," she began. I listened, curious about who the hell that girl was. "A few days ago, a container holding a failed Imitation disappeared when it was being transported to the junkyard."

"What do you mean by failed?" In a way, all Imitations are a fail. They are just cheap Vocaloid copies. Even I consider myself that way, it's only the truth.

"The Imitation was a fail because she was mindless, her vocal chords weren't working and she didn't followed orders." She explained. "We must inform our lady immediately."

The scientist finished fixing my arm. I brought it up to my face and looked at it. The mark where it had been torn off still remained.

_I'll kill you next time I see you, piece of junk._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Gumi**

"Hey, I need to go out and buy some brushes and paint, wanna come?" I asked the girl as I walked to the door. There was no answer. I sighed.

It's been five days since I brought her here and I haven't been able to get her to speak. She's creeping me out. She just sits there in the same spot on the couch and stares down at the carpet all day long. She doesn't even eat or goes to the bathroom! I hope she does once I'm out, maybe she's just shy.

"Alright, be back in an hour," I opened the door and as I stepped out, I bumped into someone. I saw an apple fall to the floor.

"So-sorry Gumi!" Nigaito quickly picked up his apple. He raised his green scarf up to his mouth and nose t cover them up.

"Oh, hey Nigaito, what brings you here?" I asked him. I noticed he was shaking. "Are you sick again?"

"Oh, n-no. Well, yes, I'm sick, ack! I-I just wanted to give you this!" He quickly extended his hands, holding the apple in them. I looked at him, as clueless as ever.

"Does that taste good?" I tilted my head to the side.

"Yes… I-It's delicious," his cheeks were red. Did he have a fever again?

"Alright," I took the apple before he could drop it again from all the shaking. He was really sick to be shaking that much.

I looked at the apple. Not sure to whether eat it or not but he looked at me eagerly. Waiting for me to take a bite out of it. I gulped and brought the fruit to my mouth and took a bite. A few seconds passed as I felt the apple's flavor and texture in my mouth but I stopped. I felt my face go green and I ended up spiting the mashed apple to Nigaito's face.

"Yuck!" I ran inside to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, looking for my carrot juice fast. I threw the milk and water and some carrots to the side searching for it and ended up drinking a whole gallon of the juice before going outside again. I looked to both sides of the hallway but Nigaito wasn't there anymore.

_Hmm…w__onder what happened to him_, I thought as I looked back at the girl who was still staring at the carpet and closed the door behind me.

"Ah, here I am… The Art Supplies Store," I quickly opened the door and went inside, making the doorbell ring.

"Gumi! Welcome back! How's the painting going?" Ren greeted as soon as he saw me coming in. Haine Ren was the owner of the shop along with his sister Lin. Some of the customers peeked their head over the shelves to get a glimpse of me; I glared at each one of them.

"Hiya Ren. It was going fine until I ran out of blue," I looked back at Ren and went to the paint section. "Hey, where's Lin?" I asked as I leaned forward, searching for the color blue on the shelves, ignoring the staring girl beside me.

_What in the world are they staring at? Never s__een a Vocaloid enter an art store to get some colors?_ I thought, grabbing the little paint tube.

"She's at the back, organizing some merchandise that just arrived," he answered. "Lin! Gumi's back!" he announced, making everyone in the store peek their head again over the shelves to stare at me. I felt my cheeks turn red and went to the next section to get my brushes.

I exited the store, with my bag of new brushes and paint, waving back at Ren and Lin as they wished me luck with the painting. I walked calmly back to my apartment and stopped at the Fruit and Veggies Market on the way. I bought some carrots, bananas, cherries and some other fruits. I wasn't sure of what the girl might like and I wasn't planning on letting her starve to death either. I even bought some sushi. As I continued walking back, on the way, I saw Kaito and Nigaito.

Kaito was sitting on a bench next to Nigaito on front of their apartment building which happened to be a few minutes away from mine. Kaito had his hand on Nigaito's shoulder, as if trying to make him feel better in any way. I walked towards them, wondering what might be wrong aside from Nigaito being sick, which wasn't anything new.

"Hey Kaito, is your brother okay?" I asked as I came to a stop in front of them. Nigaito looked up at me, his eyes blood shot red from crying. My eyes widen at the sight. "What happened? Nigaito why are you crying?"

"He's okay, don't worry." Kaito answered with a hesitant smile as Nigaito quickly hid his face in his green scarf and wiped his tears away.

"I-I'm okay, Gumi. Thanks f-for your conce-ern," Nigaito managed to say between sobs. It was a heartbreaking sight. I had to resist the urge to embrace him and comfort him.

"A-Are you sure? Can I do anything to make you feel better?" I really felt sorry for him. He must really be sick.

I searched the bags for an apple. I looked at it for a second and then back at Nigaito. "Here," I smiled and extended my hand. "Like you always say, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, right?" I waited for him to take it. He looked at it, hesitating to whether or not accept the fruit, until he gave out a shy smile and took it.

"…Thank you," he hid his nose and mouth with his scarf again.

"You feel better now, brother?" Kaito asked him, petting his back and smiling widely. Nigaito nodded, his face turning red. He must have a really bad fever. Kaito looked back at me, still with that creepy smile only he could pull off.

_He's such a creep. How can he be smiling and be happy all the time?_ Another part of me answered: _Ice cream_, and I internally slapped myself.

"Hey, want me to treat you for some ice cream? It's the least I can do for making my brother feel better." Kaito stood from the bench.

"No, no. Not now but thanks anyways," I answered. I wanted to get back to my apartment. It's been almost two hours and I was a little worried for the girl. "I'll be heading back now. See ya' guys later, and get better Nigaito." I started towards my apartment, waving back at both of them.

**Kaito**

Gumi waved at us as she walked away, refusing to come eat ice cream with us. I feel sorry for my little brother. I can tell he really wanted to spend that time with her.

"Hey, don't worry. She'll come eat ice cream with us next time," I placed my hand on his shoulder, trying to make him feel better and let him know that I was there for him.

"I guess…" he kept staring at the apple she had given him and then looked up at me. "Do you think she likes me?" he asked with certain sadness in his voice.

I felt myself starting to sweat. It was clear that Gumi was clueless about what Nigaito felt for her and it was also clear that she didn't feel the same way towards him. But I couldn't tell my brother that, he'll feel worse.

"Of course she likes you, you're a great kid!" I forced a smile on to my face.

He frowned and looked back at the apple. "You're lying, brother. She doesn't like me at all." he quickly wiped his eyes again.

_I'm a failure as a brother._

A sigh escaped my mouth. "Hey, don't worry about it Nigaito. I'm sure she likes you enough to consider you a friend."

"Friend… That's all I'll ever be for her."

**Gumi**

I opened the door and entered the apartment, closing it behind me. I found the girl still at the same spot looking at the green carpet. She didn't even turn her head to see who came in. I walked to the kitchen, placing the bags on the counter and opened the refrigerator to save everything.

"You hungry?" I asked, looking back at the girl in the living room. "I brought some fruits and veggies you might like." She didn't answer.

"What about sushi? You like sushi? It's good you know, especially if you eat it with carrots." I kept talking, trying to make her speak. I took the sushi and walked towards her.

I stood in front of her and extended my hands towards her face, showing her the sushi and hoping she might take it or at least look at it. Actually I was looking for any kind of reaction!

"Eat it. It's good," I assured. No response. I got tired of insisting and I just placed the food beside her. "I hope you eat it before I get back."

I went to my room and looked for the painting along with the materials and carried them all to the balcony, getting ready to continue. I put on an old t-shirt and analyzed the painting.

An hour passed and I was finishing it until a sudden shout made me drop my brush. I know that voice. I looked down to the street and noticed a blond boy. He was waving his hand at me and I waved back.

"Hiya Len," I raised my voice, making sure he could hear me. "What brings you here to this deserted section?"

"Hi Gumi! I think I found your bike!" In his hands he was holding my bike's handles. And I suddenly remembered that I never went back to get it.

"Oh crap!" I shouted, running towards the apartment's door and almost flying my way down the stairs. I wasn't gonna wait for the elevator to get to my floor.

I almost tripped with my own left foot when I opened the building's door and found Len waiting for me with an awkward smile on his face.

"You… okay there, Gumi?" He asked with concern.

"No, I'm okay." I said, searching for air. I looked at my bike and saw that it was all covered in mud. One of the tires was even broken. I felt a sudden sting in my heart.

_No! My bike__!_, I internally cried.

"Uh, hi there." Len said. I looked up, wondering what he was talking about.

"Didn't you already…" I looked to my side and got a little startled by the girl's sudden appearance.

"Oh! Uh, what are you doing here?" I asked but she didn't answer of course.

"You know her?" Len asked, letting go of one of the bike's handles and extended his hand towards her.

_Oh-oh._ I gulped.

"Hi, I'm Len Kagamine. What's your name?" he asked her, smiling. But she didn't respond. It was a very awkward moment of silence.

"He-Hey! That's not nice, you know," I scolded her and then turned to Len. "Sorry, she's… shy I guess…"

"Oh, it's okay, I was like her at first too," he gave out a small laugh and looked back at me again. "I guess everyone's like that at first, right?"

"Yeah, I guess…" my eyes lowered and I stared at the floor. He was right about that, everyone's shy at first. But this girl hasn't talked or responded to anything in five days already. I don't think that's normal.

"Hey," he turned to the girl. "What's your name? Don't be shy." He smiled at her and waited. I was a hundred percent sure she wasn't gonna say a word.

"Alright, sorry. I'm not gonna put you under pressure," he looked straight at my face. "What's her name Gumi?"

_Crap…_

"Er, her name is…" I searched my mind for a name, taking me at least ten seconds. He waited, tilting his head slightly to the side. "…Eri," I pressed my lips together.

_That's the best__ I could come up with?_ I internally face-palmed myself.

"Eri?" Len asked, turning to face the girl again. "Nice to meet you, Er-"

"Len! I was looking everywhere for you!" Miku interrupted Len as she came running towards us. "What are you doing in this deserted place?" She asked the boy and then turned to face me, not giving him time to answer.

"Hi Gumi and…" she looked at the girl, er, Eri who was still standing beside me. "She's new?"

"Yeah, she is." Len answered.

I disliked Miku. She was so… noisy. And I suspected she liked Len.

"Oh, she has such pretty white curly hair!" she cheerfully said, revealing the slightest bit of jealousy in her words. I'm sure I was the only one who noticed it and frowned.

"Come on Len. Let's go someplace else!" The teal haired girl grabbed one of Len's arms and dragged him away, making him drop the bicycle. My heart ached as I heard the sound of the crashing bike against the sidewalk.

"My bike!" I quickly picked it up.

"Sorry, Gumi!" Miku yelled back. "It was broken anyways! See ya' later!" Dragging Len, she turned to the other street, making all passing Vocaloids turn to stare at them. It was official, I hate her.

I sighed and turned to face the girl beside me. "You don't mind if I call you Eri for the time being until you decide to talk, right?" She was staring at the corner where Miku and Len had disappeared. I felt something strange regarding her. Her head was slightly tilted to the left and I thought I saw her frown for the tiniest second which made my eyes grow wide.

"Are you okay?" I worriedly asked. I knew it wasn't normal for her to not react to anything, but it was strange for her to _react_ to something. I grasped the handles of the bicycle tightly. It was a little frightening.

I felt a drop of water land on my forehead. I looked up; grey clouds were starting to cover the sky.

"Let's go back inside…" I turned my head to look at her. She was staring at the sky. Something happened to her. It was the first time I ever saw her reacting to something and I hope this meant she was ready to talk.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**Rin**

"Yes, Master!" I said as I hanged up. I was pretty excited about Master's idea and I quickly went to Len's room where I found him watching the Discovery Network on his bed while eating a banana.

"Hey, guess what?" I threw myself to his bed beside him.

"Watch it, Rin. You're gonna break my bed." he said with his mouth stuffed of banana.

"Len, swallow, it's disgusting when you talk with your mouth full. When are you gonna stop doing that?" I asked, trying to remember since when Len had that bad habit. I grabbed a pillow and rested my head on it. "Anyways, Master called."

"Really?" he was surprised, but he still had the mashed banana in his mouth. I looked away, trying not to gag. My eyes landed on the TV where there was a documentary about the Vocaloid's origins. I'm sure I've seen it before.

"Yeah, Gumi's birthday is tomorrow. She's gonna be a year old!" I smiled widely as I remembered the first time I met Gumi. She was so shy.

"And what did Master say?" he asked, thankfully he had swallowed so I looked up at him.

"He asked if we could throw this amazing party and make her feel welcome. He said that since her birth, she's always preferred being alone and avoided being with people." And Master was right about that. Gumi's always been kind of a loner. "He said that he reserved the Luna Restaurant for tomorrow."

"Isn't that place expensive?" he asked, once again surprised. "It's the fanciest place in town, right?"

"Yeah, meaning we have to look our best." I jumped off the bed and went to Len's closet and opened it. I took out some black pants and a white short sleeved shirt and threw them to the bed in front of Len's feet.

"But how will we go in? We don't have the money," he had his mouth full of banana again.

I small sigh escaped my mouth. "Dummy, Master reserved the place for the party, that means he's gonna pay for all the guests," I explained and took a slim black tie out of the hanger and threw it to Len's bed.

"Ahh…" he swallowed.

"What shoes are you gonna wear? There's nothing elegant in here." I said as I leaned and searched through the closet's floor, searching for a good pair. My eyes landed on some black Converse I had never seen him wearing before. I picked them up and turned to Len.

"Where you got these from?" I asked, raising them up to my shoulders.

"Um… I'm not sure. I think Miku bought them for me saying that I should stop wearing the white boots I have," he threw the banana to the little trash bin beside the TV. It landed on the floor and I went and picked it up and threw it inside.

"Miku? Seriously?" I asked, more than a little annoyed. He nodded. "Has it ever occurred to you that she might like you, brother?" I placed the shoes on the bed beside the clothes.

"What? I don't think so. She's nice to everyone." Yeah, figured he'd say that. He's clueless. And I don't think Miku's as nice as she seems to be.

"I'm gonna go out and buy a dress. All I seem to have are short pants."

"It's because you're a tomboy, sis." I felt a vein throb on my forehead. I quickly turned and chased him around the room.

"I'm not a tomboy Len!" I shouted, throwing myself to him.

**Gumi**

The alarm rang. I groaned and turned, extending my hand and pushing the snooze button. I opened my eyes a little and read the hour. 8:30 AM.

_Damnit, I thought I put it for 9:30_, I thought as I got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. I opened the door and looked to the living room where the girl was. As always, she was sitting on the couch.

"Hey," I drowsily said. "Don't you ever sleep? I told you last night for the one millionth time to go to the spare room and sleep there." And as always, she didn't respond. Not that I minded, but it still made me worry a little.

I took a bath and washed my mouth, and then I brushed my hair and put some old clothes on. I opened the bathroom's door and headed straight to the kitchen and made pancakes. While adding the eggs to the bowl filled of flour, I tried making conversation.

"Hey, you like pancakes right?" I asked, stirring the pancake mix. Of course, I didn't expect any reaction coming from her but I kept on talking anyways. "Oh, and I was wondering, don't you have an apartment? Not that I mind having you here, in fact, I like having your kind of company. You're peaceful and quiet. Not loud and troublesome like Miku. Remember her? She's annoying as hell and she's always dragging poor Len everywhere. I think she likes him and acts all nice to everyone to impress him, and everyone buys it." I kept talking and forgot I was even talking to the girl.

I placed the plate of pancakes on the little table in front of the couch. I placed two plates beside the pancakes and put a pancake in each one of them and then sat beside Eri.

"Eat as much as you like," I said as I grabbed my plate and began eating. I ended up eating them all except for the one on Eri's plate. "Come on. Eat it, it's good." I assured. Right then, I heard knocks on the door. I looked at the carrot shaped clock on one of the kitchen's walls.

_It's almost ten. I wonder who came to visit so early in the morning. Maybe it's Nigaito_, I thought as I stood and walked to the door, leaving my plate on the little table beside the other ones.

I opened the door and found myself looking at a giant gift box wrapped with a green bow and gift wrapping paper decorated with little carrots in it. And it suddenly hit me. I had totally forgotten today was my first birthday. I looked up at the guy at the other side of the gift box.

"Happy birthday, Gumi!" he smiled widely. He had a white coat on and I figured he was a human scientist.

"Aren't you a scientist from the corporation? What are you doing all the way down here?" I asked in amazement.

"I came to deliver this gift to you. It's a birthday gift from the corporation," he kept smiling. "It was Master's idea."

"Master?" I asked, still amazed. Master sent me a gift? I mean, the corporation sent me a gift? I was astonished. "Wow, I can't believe it's been a year…"

When the scientist left, I took the giant box inside. It was very heavy and it almost didn't fit through the door.

"Hey Eri, look what I got for my birthday!" I said as I closed the door behind me. I was very excited and I pushed the gift to the living room so the girl could see it.

"I wonder what's inside…" I grabbed the bow and pulled it. I then tore my way through the gift wrapping and almost broke the box apart trying to open it. When I finally did, something big popped out of it. I screamed and fell on my behind, my heart about to burst out of my chest.

"Happy birthday sister!" It was a guy's voice and I quickly looked up. I was shocked to see a perfect replica of myself; only difference was that it was a guy.

"What the f—?" I got cut off by the guy.

"I'm Gumo! Gumo Megpoid! I'm your little brother!" he said, jumping out of the box. I crawled away.

"I don't have a brother, go away!" I shouted.

"Sis! I'm your little brother! I was made for you as a gift for your first birthday which is today!" he came after me, Kaito's creepy smile plastered all over his lips. Now I know Kaito's not the only one he can pull it off.

"Stay away!" I got up and ran to the bathroom and shut the door.

He knocked. "Big sis, are you scared of me?" He asked. Indeed I was.

"Go away!" I yelled. I heard him sigh and after a few seconds, the front door opened and then it closed. Silence. I waited a few seconds before opening the door quietly to see if he was gone. No sign of him.

_What the hell? What kind of present was that?__ Is this a joke?_, I thought as I opened the door and walked out of the bathroom. From the corner of my eye I saw something moving. I looked up and the guy was standing on the kitchen counter and he jumped.

"What the—" I couldn't finish the sentence. He landed on me and we both fell to the floor. I think something inside me broke.

"OUCH, OUCH, OUCH!" I yelled and I pulled him away. "Weren't you gonna leave?" I asked and sat.

"No, sis. I'm here to stay with you!" he smiled and sat beside me.

"Please tell me this is all some sort of joke and I'm being filmed…" I begged. He tilted his head to the side.

"Filming? Why would someone be filming?" he asked and sniffed around. "What's that smell?" He stood up.

"What smell?" I asked. And I suddenly remembered Eri existed. I saw him rush to the living room. I quickly stood and followed him. He took the plate that had Eri's pancake and sat beside her.

"Hey! That's not…" It was too late; he had already started eating it.

"Hey, sis, who's the girl?" he asked, glancing at the girl beside him.

"Oh, she's a friend. She's… staying over for a while. Her name's Eri," I said as I took the plate of the pancake he was eating. "And that wasn't yours."

"Sis, you sure know how to cook!" he looked straight at my face with a foolish expression. My cheeks turned red and I couldn't help but turn around, grab the plates and walk away towards the kitchen.

I tried not to laugh as I washed the dishes. He was trying to talk to her but she didn't talk back. He often asked me what was wrong with her but I ignored him. As I finished washing the last plates, he stopped talking to Eri and turned his attention to me.

"Oh, right! I remembered I have something for you," he eagerly went and dove half his body inside the box.

"What are you doing now…?" I annoyingly asked.

My jaw dropped when he pulled out a white strapless short dress with green ruffles at the end. The end of the dress was slightly pulled up by three yellowish roses lined up vertically, making the green ruffles more visible.

"There's more," he pulled out a black hat with green ribbon and three yellowish roses adorning it. He then pulled out some over the knee black socks and gloves, and finally, black high heel shoes. "What ya' think?"

"Gumo, it's… beautiful," I couldn't keep my eyes off of the dress. "But…what's it for?" I glanced at him.

"Oh, right! I also wanted to invite you to the Luna Restaurant down town."

"The Luna Restaurant? That place is expensive, how are you gonna afford that?"

"Master told me to take you there so he probably reserved it for us."

"But… Can Eri come?"

"Eri?" he looked back at her. "Yeah, sure! It's your birthday so you can wish for anything. But she can't go to that restaurant if she doesn't have something appropriate to wear." He pointed out.

"Maybe I have something she can borrow…"

"Question," Gumo began and I listened. "Why doesn't she talk?"

I hesitated a little, searching for an appropriate answer since I really didn't know the answer myself. "She's… shy."

_Is shy even the right word to describe her… lifelessness? _

**Miku**

I went into the bathroom and took a shower. Today was Gumi's first birthday and everyone was making such a fuzz about it. It's not a big deal. I didn't want to assist but Len was going so I wanted to go with him. Though I really just wanted to keep an eye on him. Don't want anyone getting too close to him. When I finished, I blow dried my hair and went to my room.

"I wonder what gift she received from the corporation…" I thought out loud, searching for the dress I had bought today. It was expensive and I was sure nobody will have it.

I found it and slipped into it. I looked at myself in the mirror. The dress was beautiful, the chest area was shaped like a bow and the dress was white with a lot of layers below the chest until it revealed aqua colored ruffles at the end bellow the dress. The layers made the dress puffy. I brushed my hair up into my two usual ponytails and adorned my hair with a white rose. And finally, after putting on the shoes, I was done.

I looked at the clock hanging beside my bed and it read 5:12 PM. It was almost time to head to town. I walked to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator and looked around for a leek.

As I enjoyed the vegetable, something grabbed my leg. I looked down to see Hachune pulling on my sock.

"Hey, not the sock! What do you want?" I asked her. She was annoying. The corporation gave her to me as a present for my first birthday. At first it was fun having her but now I can't stand her. She pointed at my leek and I cut it in half and gave her a part.

"There? Happy?" I asked. She nodded and walked away and sat on the balcony's floor, staring at the city. "I'm going now. Stay here and don't cause trouble." I told her and walked out of my apartment, closing the door behind me. As I walked towards downtown, everyone stopped to stare at me. They were all amazed at how I looked and I was pleased.

_Now, what can I do to make Len mine…?_, I thought, tuning everything out. _I can impress him, which won't be that hard. But there are gonna be a lot of people at the restaurant so I have to do a good job at it. I can sit with him in the same table. That way it'll be easier to keep an eye on him and stop fangirls from getting close to him…_

I kept thinking and thinking until I got to downtown and finally arrived at the Luna Restaurant. I saw Len and my heart skipped a beat. He was waiting with Rin on a bench on the other side of the street. A lot of girls were looking straight at him and I felt myself burning. I had to make them know he was mine.

"Hi Len!" I tried being as cheerful as possible as I ran towards where he was and tackled him, making all nearby fangirls burn in jealousy. I internally laughed.

**Gumi**

I glanced at the clock. 6:30 PM. Gumo was ready but I wasn't. He was fixing Eri's hair and constantly fixing her coat and scarf. It looked as if he wasn't gonna finish any time soon so I took a bath in the mean time. Gumo was waiting for me when I got out.

"Hurry and put on your dress! We're late!" He said as he dragged me across the living room and into my room.

I felt uncomfortable being in my underwear around him but he was too busy helping me put on the dress that it seemed like he didn't even notice. He also helped me putting on the heels and did my hair.

"Something's missing…" Gumo said as he took the slim black tie he had around his neck and put it around mine.

"Gumo! Don't you think it's enough? It's formal and I don't want to be the center of attention." I was actually afraid I was gonna look ridiculous with all that stuff on me.

"What? You must be the center of attention! It's your birthday! Look at yourself now and see how beautiful you look," I did as he said and looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes grew wide at the sight. I looked amazing, even though I had so much stuff on.

"See? You look beautiful! All thanks to me," He laughed. I was starting to think he was gay…

I looked over at Eri and she looked very pretty too. Gumo really did a good job dressing her. Her white curls went well with the black scarf and coat. Her hair was adorned with a purple rose which instantly reminded me of Gakupo. I felt my cheeks turning red but I shook it off quickly.

"Ok, can we go now?" I asked him and he nodded. "Finally." I grabbed Eri's arm and dragged her out the front door knowing that she wasn't gonna follow if I told her to.

"I hope that restaurant has carrots or else I'm gona go on a rampage," I said, stomping my way down the empty hallway. I heard Gumo closing the apartment's door.

"Yeah, don't worry about the carrots; I'm sure they'll have plenty of them," he giggled. His behavior made me wonder if he was telling me the truth about this evening being just a simple trip to eat at a restaurant…


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Gumi**

Everyone kept staring at us. We were walking on the sidewalk heading to that restaurant Gumo invited me to. Gumo walked in front of me, as if he knew the way and Eri was behind me. I glanced back at her every now and then to make sure that she was still there and didn't get left behind.

"Gumo…" I called his name for the one hundredth time as I saw him taking a left turn into an alley. "The restaurant's _this_ way…" I pointed my finger to a street to my right.

"Ohh, sorry, sorry, hehe…"

We turned and headed down the next street and the staring didn't stop. We were three teenagers dressed elegantly walking through a casual dressed crowd. It couldn't get any more embarrassing than that.

And as if I were being mocked by some sort of invisible force, Gumo started skipping happily, which drew even more attention. He didn't look manly _at all_.

My face went red with embarrassment. "Gumo… stop doing that," I whispered to him. "Everyone's looking at us!"

"But I'm happy sis!"

"It doesn't matter! Everyones looking at you funny."

"Fine…" a quick sigh escaped his mouth and he obeyed.

I rolled my eyes, glancing at the sidewalk bellow me. He may be an exact replica of me, which was freaky in a way, but we weren't anything alike. He's like the kind of person I dislike the most: loud and troublesome. Though I have to admit he isn't _that_ bad of a person. At least not like Miku, that's for sure. And now, I do wonder, where's he gonna stay?

As we kept walking, we were approaching my favorite store in town. When it came into view, I couldn't help but run to the display window and press my body onto it, my eyes landing on the big "SALE" sign. I felt myself dying inside.

"Why now?" I shouted. "I don't have the money right now!"

Gumo approached me quickly and took a look to the insides of the store. Eri was walking behind him. "Hover boards? What do those do?"

I looked at him, eyes wide with disbelief and accusation. "You don't know what a hover board is? It's like the best thing in the world!"

I realized I was acting like a total fangirl. What's wrong with me? It's just hover boards… And not too many could afford them. Everyone just took the train or walked around the city. Some drove bicycles around, like me. But the thought of having a hover board made me go crazy. I have a weird obsession for them.

Gumo frowned. "I still don't get it."

I took a step away from the glass window. "Nevermind."

Gumo pressed his lips together. "You really want one?"

"Of course!" I longingly looked again to the inside of the store, trying to imagine myself on one of those hover boards.

"Alrighty!" he smiled and grabbed my arm and dragged me to the store's entrance. On the way he grabbed Eri's hand also.

"What are you doing?"

"If you really want one then why not buy it?"

"With what money? I'm broke!"

He let out a soft giggle. "With my starter money, silly."

I was speechless. He couldn't possibly be thinking of wasting his precious starter money on a hover board. Much less if it's not for him! That money's supposed to be used for finding an apartment and food and clothes and all that. One doesn't get that much money from the Corporation after you get created! What is he thinking?

I pulled my arm away but he quickly grasped it again and dragged me inside. "Gumo!"

"Come on, sis. Choose whichever you like best."

"I-I can't-"

"If you won't do it, then I'll choose it for you," he approached a neon pink hover board and grabbed it.

My eyes felt like burning from that hideous color. "Alright, alright! I'll choose one! Just put that monstrosity down!"

"I thought you liked all hover boards."

"I do, but not that kind of color! My eyes…"

I briefly eyed the store. Finding the one I wanted wasn't hard. I had already picked it out long ago. And to my luck, it was on sale. At least I wasn't gonna feel _too_ bad about Gumo buying it for me. It was cheaper than most in here.

We got out of the store a few minutes later. In my arms I had the hover board I spent so many nights dreaming about. It was almost five feet in length; it had a silver-ish color and looked very futuristic. And best of all, it didn't weight anything. I can almost lift it with three fingers.

Very excitedly, I threw it to the street and as expected, it automatically turned itself on and was levitating a few inches off ground level.

Gumo whistled in amazement. "So that's what it does."

"Hop on you two, it's getting dark."

As expected from Gumo, he literally jumped to get on and almost killed himself while at it. And as for Eri, I pushed her on to it. We arrived at the restaurant in five minutes. It saved us a ten minute walk. It really did come in handy! No more walking for me…

I looked up at the restaurant's building and observed it. It had two floors. The first one probably had the most affordable service. The second, on the other hand, was more expensive. The second floor also had a balcony and there were people staring down at us. There wasn't any line to get in and through the glass window I could see half of the tables taken and people with very nice clothing eating.

"I think I'm gonna be sick…" Gumo said as he jumped off the hover board and kneeled. The hover board descended until it touched the street and it automatically turned itself off.

Eri and I got off afterwards and I went and kneeled beside him. "You okay there?" I asked.

"Yeah… Let's go in, I want to sit down."

We entered the restaurant and a very nice looking waiter came and greeted us. Another waiter came and took my hover board and we were led through the first floor of the restaurant. There were some empty tables but we didn't stop. It looked like we were headed to the second floor which kinda surprised me. We went up the grand staircase.

I glanced at Eri behind me, making sure she was still following. We finally got to the second floor and my eyes instantly grew. There were fewer tables than in the first floor making the room look bigger than it really was. Every table was adorned beautifully with a big rose vase as a center piece and they were all prepared with plates, spoons, forks and napkins. At the other end of the room was a little stage and there weren't any tables around it, leaving that space unoccupied. That must be the dance floor.

My eyes wondered up to the ceiling. There were beautiful golden chandeliers hanging from the roof and to my right there was a large glass window that separated the inside of the room from the balcony outside. There were some people occupying a few tables and they all dressed amazingly, the women with beautiful dresses and the men with elegant suits.

"Right this way," the waiter led us to a table in the center of the floor. He took out the chairs for us to sit and then dismissed himself.

Gumo and I kept quiet for a few moments, gazing at the place.

"I never thought the place would be like this, it's pretty."

"Yeah… and-" I stopped midway, not knowing what to say. "Thanks. It's been a great day." I looked away, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"Hm? You thought this was it, sis?" a mischievous grin made it's way onto his lips.

I paused. "What are you saying?"

He laughed for a brief moment and then stood from his seat. "You can all come out now!"

Surprisingly, people started coming out from the back of the stage and they all started singing "Happy Birthday". Len was first in line holding an orange and green birthday cake in his hands and followed by him was his sister Rin. Then Miku and Kaito and his whole rainbow family. After them followed a few people I didn't know. They were all walking through the restaurant as they sang the birthday song and my face couldn't get any redder. Gumo sang along with them. Then I saw Meiko, following the Haine twins, Neru and Teto followed by another group of people I didn't know. I was waiting to see him, but the line just kept going and going.

Len stopped in front of my table and placed the birthday cake in front of me. "Happy birthday to you!" Everyone sang and finished the song. I couldn't get any redder than I already was as everyone cheered and applauded.

I tried avoiding everyone's eyes and just looked down at the birthday cake. "Make a wish Gumi!" I heard Rin say between the noise everyone was making.

I looked at the cake in front of me and thought for a wish and blew the candle. Another moment of cheering and applauses and after that, everyone went and sat at their tables. The place was now crowded and everyone was talking and congratulating me, even people who I didn't know. It was awkward but I just thanked them and waited for them to leave. After everyone was seated, a group of waiters came out of the kitchen doors and started handing out the menus and filling all the cups with water.

I turned to Gumo and slapped his arm. "Gumo!"

"Ouch! What is it?" he rubbed his arm with a shocked and pained expression. Did I hit him too hard?

"I don't like this! Everyone's looking at me and… talking to me as if they know me!"

"It's your birthday party, what did you expect? And besides, it wasn't me who planned this, it was Master!"

I was about to come up with something other to say but I stopped midway. "Master?"

"Yes, master was the one who made this party. He even reserved the restaurant just for you!"

I kept quiet. I just couldn't believe master did all this. And for me? I mean, one could expect it for someone like Miku but… Me? What is going on here? I don't get it at all. In fact, I feel a little uneasy.

"So…" Gumo interrupted my thoughts. "What did you wish for when you blew the candle?"

I stared at the cake in front of me. "Well, I'm not supposed to say it or else it won't come true… At least that's what they say."

I glanced toward the grand staircase and suddenly noticed two people coming into view. My eyes grew wide and I felt my heart accelerating as I saw Luka accompanied by Gakupo. He was holding her arm bridal style and they both looked amazing together. Luka had a long white puffy dress making her look even more beautiful than she already was. And Gakupo looked very handsome wearing a black short sleeved shirt and a white vest. His hair was done into a braid.

My hands started sweating and my heart wanted to explode. I looked back at the cake but couldn't help looking back at the couple. They were looking for a table and as they did, Gakupo suddenly looked my way and I froze. He smiled when he recognized me and I couldn't help but blush and quickly look down to my hands on my lap.

_I guess making a wish with the birthday candle isn't such a waste of time_, I thought as I played with my fingers. I felt Gumo's stare on me but paid no mind.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**Len**

Rin and I stood and walked towards Gumi's table, leaving Miku behind as she made up her mind about what she was gonna eat. Rin got to Gumi first.

"Gumi, congratulations!" she gave Gumi a quick hug and eyed the green haired guy beside her. "I'm guessing this is the Corporation's gift?" She extended her hand and smiled. The guy did the same and they shook hands.

"His name is Gumo," Gumi introduced him.

Gumo let go of Rin's hand and shook mine. "Nice meeting you both."

We all had a quick conversation. Introducing ourselves, a little about the party, bananas and carrots, etc. Then Rin asked about Gumi's friend who hadn't talked the whole time. It's not like I didn't notice her or that I didn't remember who she was or her name, but she was so intimidating that I didn't dare to even greet her because somehow, I knew she was going to ignore me and I was going to make a fool of myself.

Teto and Neru joined the conversation. They both congratulated Gumi but as soon as Neru said "happy birthday", she went back to texting on her orange cellphone. I've never seen her hanging out with someone other than Teto so I wonder who in the world she sends so many messages to.

An orchestra band began playing while we were all chatting. Teto started talking about her older brother Ted who was playing the Violin on stage. Have to admit he was very good at it. I also noticed the teacher Kiyoteru playing the cello along side the red haired UTAU.

"Isn't Ted amazing? I have to go get some pictures! Come on Neru!" Teto grabbed Neru's hand and dragged her away, her red drill-like curls bouncing with every step she took.

From out of the blue, Rin grabbed my hand and led me towards the dance floor where some people were dancing waltz.

"Do I really have to?" I whined. But instead of saying yes or nodding, she pulled my hand harder, almost making me trip with her moving feet. I sighed.

We got to the dance floor and Rin pulled me towards her, placing one hand on my shoulder and grabbing my hand with the other. I rolled my eyes and placed my free hand on her lower back.

"Really, I'm not in the mood to dance."

"You think I care?"

"You're impossible." I took the first step to my left and Rin followed. Then to my right, forward, backward and so on. We were soon dancing alongside the other couples to the slow orchestra's music.

I knew some of the people dancing. Kaito was with his little sister Kaiko. It was a very endearing sight since both her feet were on Kaito's and he was the one taking the steps. Meiko was dancing with her cousin Meito and surprisingly, she wasn't drunk. She looked very elegant dancing and she really had a really soft and gentle expression. Not like when she's drunk. It's almost as if she has two personalities because when she's drunk, she just goes wild and crazy and she looks at people as if she wants to rape them. It gives me the creeps.

The song ended and a new one started but Rin didn't want to stop; I was stuck dancing some more. The Haine twins joined the dance floor. They aren't related to us in any way and I wonder, and probably everyone else in this city too, why do they look exactly like us except for their black hair and their choice of clothing? They normally wear dark colored clothes while Rin and I wear more warm colored ones.

"Hey sis," I eyed Rin's black short pants. "Weren't you supposed to buy a dress?"

"Shut it," she rolled her eyes.

_Yep, that's my stubborn sister_, I thought and glanced at our table. I found Miku staring at us and when she saw that I noticed, she looked away. I didn't give it much thought since I was used to Miku giving me weird looks so my eyes wondered to Gumi's table. Gumo was standing as he offered Gumi his hand. She hesitantly took it and followed him to the dance floor.

It was clear that it was the first time for both of them to dance a waltz. It was a really funny sight. They got the hang of it when Kaito approached them and gave them a few tips and demonstrations. A little after that, Kamui and Luka started dancing too.

Miku didn't stop staring and it was getting very uncomfortable.

"She's probably angry because you haven't asked her to dance yet," Rin contained her laughter. "I've counted at least eight guys that have gathered up the courage to ask her to dance but she's been denying them all."

I frowned, thinking that if this keeps up I'll have no choice but to go and ask Miku to dance. It's not that I didn't want to dance wit her but… Alright, I didn't want to dance with her. She creeps me out. I kept thinking of the possibilities I had and my eyes unconsciously wandered to Gumi's table. I saw that Gumi's friend Eri was alone. Her stare was fixed on the rose vase in the center of the table though it didn't look as if she were contemplating it. Her gaze looked very vacant, almost as if she weren't there. It was a little frightening. And even though she gives me goosebumps whenever I look at her, I couldn't help but think how… beautiful she seemed to be.

I shook my head a little, trying to dismiss those weird thoughts. I looked back to our table and caught Miku staring at us, yet again. I gave out a sigh of annoyance.

"I'll go ask Miku to dance," I dropped my arms to my sides.

"You should, or else she'll kill me," Rin rolled her eyes.

I glanced at Gumi's table for the last time and I saw that Eri was, surprisingly, looking our way. My heart almost came to a stop and I quickly looked back at Rin, ears burning in embarrassment.

"Len? Is that what I think it is?" she mockingly elbowed me on the ribs. "You like that oddball?"

"Wha-!" I couldn't help but feel my cheeks burn at her suspicion. "I don't like her it's just that-"

"She's all alone and you feel bad for her? Then you should ask her to dance."

"No, I barely know her. It would be rude." I turned my back on Rin and started towards our table.

"Don't be an idiot, Len. There's nothing rude about asking a lonely girl for a dance."

I stood beside Miku, who was fiddling with her napkin. She smiled at me. "Len, I noticed you have the Converse I bought you on."

"Oh, yeah, Rin made me put them on." As soon as I said that, her smile turned into a frown.

_Oops…_

I inhaled and exhaled slowly. "Miku… Want to dance?" I asked. Her smile came back as she nodded.

It was all over in minutes. I was glad it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Miku just followed my lead dancing without a word. Of course, there were those random moments where we found ourselves accidentally looking each other in the eyes and quickly looked away in embarrassment. But aside from that it was okay. We quickly got back to our table and I knew Miku wasn't too happy about it.

"That was awfully fast…" Rin brought her hand to her mouth and held her laughter in. I saw Miku giving her a nasty glare and it made me furious.

"Hey, don't glare at my sister!" I snapped.

Her eyes widened. She bit her lower lip as she quickly took a seat. Rin also had a similar surprised expression. I took my seat beside Rin and watched the people swaying to the music on the dance floor, paying no attention of whatsoever to Miku.

I was aware of Rin's stare on me but I tried not to pay attention to it. Then, as I was mindlessly watching the dancing people, I noticed that something was going on there. I saw Kamui approaching Gumi while she danced with my look alike Ren. Thing was that he left Luka standing alone on the dance floor.

**Gumi**

"Never thought dancing would be so much fun," Gumo let go of my waist and twirled me.

I let out a soft laugh. "Yeah, I'm starting to get good at it," I said and got back close to him again. I shot a quick glance at our table and saw Eri sitting there doing nothing. "I think we should get back now."

"Alright, sis. But let's finish this dance."

I nodded once and agreed to dance until the music ended, and once it did, the Haine twins approached us.

"Happy birthday Gumi!" Lin blurted out as she hurried towards me and embraced me in an overly dramatic hug.

"Can't breathe!" I managed to say before she finally let go.

"Take it easy, Lin. You almost killed her," Ren chuckled and turned his attention to Gumo, extending his hand. "You must be Gumi's new brother. I'm Haine Ren."

"Gumo Megpoid," Gumo shook hands with him.

Lin then introduced herself and Ren approached me, taking my hand. "Mind if we switch partners?" He asked.

"But we were about to-"

"Sure." Gumo said as he took Lin's hand. They began dancing as soon as the music started.

Ren placed his hand on my lower back and raised my hand up to his shoulder. "Happy birthday," he congratulated me as he took a step to the right and smiled. I followed.

"Thanks." I took a step back, he followed. We swayed to the music along with the people on the dance floor. Some waiters came out of the kitchen taking plates of food to various tables.

"Hey," he said after a while. He looked away, his cheeks revealing a little hint of red.

"Yes?" I asked as he let go of my waist and twirled me. I then came back close to him.

"I wanted to ask you about your friend."

"You mean Eri?" I asked. "The white curly hair one?"

"Yeah… That one."

"Wait," A big mocking smile made its way on to my face. "Do you like her?"

"Wait, don't jump to conclusions, I was just asking."

"Whatever you say Ren," I accidentally stepped on his feet.

"Ouch!" He jumped a few times and I stepped back.

"Sorry! Sorry!" I apologized, waving my hands hysterically in front of my face.

Right then I felt a presence behind me. I heard the words "good evening" but I froze. I was too stunned to even turn myself and face the person behind me. I didn't have to think it twice; I knew exactly who was standing behind me.

The he whispered close to my ear: "I hope I'm not interrupting anything, but may I have this dance?" I almost died.

I turned my head slowly, and there he was. Gakupo stood behind me. His face slightly leaned forward to match my height. I felt my cheeks burning in embarrassment.

"Do you mind, Ren?" Gakupo asked.

"Not at all. I'll be seeing you later Gumi." And with that, he left.

Gakupo came and stood in front of me. I couldn't even look at him directly in the eyes. He didn't wait a minute before he placed his hand on my lower back and got into position.

"You don't mind, right?" he asked, I was sure he was looking directly at my face.

"No, I don't." I replied, refusing to even glance at him. He took a few steps and began dancing, I just followed and tried not to trip from the nervousness. I was almost a hundred percent sure he could hear my furious heart beats. It was embarrassing.

_Damnit!_, I internally cursed. I was making a fool of myself! I heard him chuckle as if he knew my thoughts. I dared a look at him and after that, I couldn't look away. My eyes locked with his beautiful purple ones. It was as if I were being sucked into another world where nothing mattered. Where everything was perfect and only he and I existed. I felt warm all over.

To my luck, while I was in that perfect little world, I didn't saw that spilled glass of water on the floor. I stepped on it, slipped, and fell on my butt. Everyone, and I mean everyone, stared. I heard a few laugh but Gakupo just chuckled and offered me his hand to help me up. I smiled sheepishly, my whole face turning a very dark red, and took his hand. I wanted to disappear from the face of the earth.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**Nigaito**

I was feeling a little shaky. It wasn't because I was sick, like most of the time, but because this was Gumi's birthday. I was constantly looking towards the dance floor where she danced for a while. Every time I got a glimpse of her, I immediately looked away feeling my face getting hot. I couldn't help but think how pretty she was.

As I fiddled with my scarf, Taito and Zeito got dragged by Akaito and Kikaito to the dance floor. My sister Kaiko, Kaito and I stayed behind. I could've sworn I saw Taito hissing at Kikaito for pulling him into the dance floor. Zeito didn't look too happy either.

"Brother," Kaiko pulled on my sleeve asking for my attention. "Why are you blushing so much?"

I tried acting casual but failed. "R-Red? Me? What are you talking about?" I pulled the green scarf up to my nose.

"Kaiko, don't tease your brother," Kaito told her and then got closer and whispered in her ear. "You know he has issues."

Kaiko giggled softly while my red face got worse and worse. "H-Hey! I heard that…"

I noticed that Gumi wasn't dancing anymore. My eyes quickly scanned the place searching for her. Then I saw her spiky green hair bouncing its way towards the buffet. I looked over to Kaito. He nodded, signaling me to go after her. I shook my head and looked down to my lap.

"You should at least go and say happy birthday," Kaito tried to encourage me.

"N-No. I mean, I-I…" I sighed. I sat there defeated so I just nodded. Kaito smiled and patted my back.

"Good luck little bro. Don't worry, you'll do fine."

Sure, as if I'll go up to Gumi and casually start a conversation with her. It won't go that smoothly. It never does. Last time I tried that she ended up spiting mashed apple to my face. Yeah, very smooth.

Kaiko and Kaito both stared at me, waiting for me to get up and go to Gumi. My hands got sweaty. The room's temperature also seemed to get higher with each passing minute. I gulped, thinking of all the possible outcomes of congratulating her on her birthday. I hate how socially awkward I am.

"There she goes, go get her!" Kaito cheered.

"What am I supposed to say brother?" I helplessly asked.

"Just say happy birthday or something! Start a conversation, it's not that hard!" He pushed me out of my seat and I struggled to find my balance.

I was nailed to the floor. I felt too nervous and terrified to even move an inch. People looked at me funny. They had no idea how hard this was.

Kaiko stood from her seat. "Brother!" She growled and pushed me forward.

"I-I'm going, I'm going…"

Kaiko and Kaito cheered as I slowly walked away. It was very embarrassing.

I observed everyone. This place looked like a rich people gathering. I felt slightly out of place. My unbuttoned green and white coat didn't go that well with my green scarf. I looked more casual. I stopped for a second to adjust the buttons on the black vest under my coat. My hands were shaking uncontrollably which made it impossible for me to fix the stupid buttons. I gave up and looked up, scanning the buffet. I didn't see Gumi anywhere. I slowly walked around looking for her and then I finally found her.

My heart threatened to burst out of my chest. I felt like passing out from all the sudden stress. With each step I took toward her, the crowd noise began to fade. I could only hear my heart beat up in my ears. I raised my scarf up, covering my mouth and nose and prepared myself for the worst humiliation of my life. I thanked my brother for that.

I came to a stop behind her. Nobody seemed to notice me. I felt my face turning red again and my legs were shaking nonstop along with my arms and sweaty hands.

"G-Gum-mi?" I stammered as I reached for her hand and grabbed it. I felt her warmness and hoped she wouldn't notice my shaking.

She started to turn towards me and I quickly looked down to the floor below me. My face was just too red from the embarrassment and I didn't want her to see me directly.

"Gu-Gumi… I-I… I just wanted to say that, um, co-congratulations on your birthday and I, uh…" I went blank for a moment. My scarf slipped, revealing my red cheeks and I quickly raised it again to hide half my face with it. "I-I just wanted to say that I-I… I…"

I felt my ears burning and tears were forming in my eyes. All I could do was hold them back. I felt like a little worm waiting to be eaten by the bird. I just want to get this over with! I gulped hard; my throat was dry. I closed my eyes and braced myself for total rejection.

"Gumi I-I… I like you! Please be my girlfriend!" I blurted out.

There. I said it. It was all over. Gumi was going to hate me now. Seconds passed by as I waited for her response but she kept quiet. I loosened my grip on her hand and let it go.

I noticed that everyone around us was quiet and I felt dozens of eyes staring holes into me. I just wanted to turn around and run away from there.

"You're cute," a voice in front of me said. That person didn't sound sober.

I looked up to find a green haired guy who looked identical to Gumi. Reality swept through me and I realized what I had just done.

"You… You're not-!" I got cut off when all of a sudden, the guy grabbed both sides of my face and leaned forward.

I panicked but I couldn't move. I stood there paralyzed as Gumi's look-alike pressed his lips onto mine. I heard a lot of gasps, and after a few seconds, the crowd roared. I felt a tingling sensation on my lips and it spread throughout my body. My mind went blank.

He finally let go of my face. I stumbled backwards trying to regain my balance. I felt my face red all over.

"Wha-What… y-you…" I lost my train of thought. I was confused and still trying to process what in the world just happened.

"Gumo! Nigaito! Gumo! Nigaito!" The crowd around us cheered.

_Gumo?_, I then felt someone caressing my face. I jolted back to reality and saw the guy, who was apparently called Gumo, close to my face again. I abruptly took a step back.

"S-Stay away!" I shouted and slapped his hand. "Who are you? Why do you look like Gumi?" I demanded, my cheeks flushing.

"Oh, you thought I was Gumi! How cute!" He was amused. He took a glass of what looked like wine from the buffet table behind him. "I'm her brother! Call me Gumo, pretty boy!" He laughed hysterically.

"Her… brother?"

_I just confessed to Gumi's brother and got my first kiss from him?_, reality swept through me, yet again. I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me into the depths of the earth.

"Yes!" he replied, taking a sip of his wine. Laughter followed.

Tears began forming in my eyes again; the embarrassment was too much. I turned around and ran away from there. I passed through the tables making everyone turn their heads to look at me. I stopped in front of my table seeing that Kaito and Kaiko were still there chatting. I sat at my chair beside Kaiko and placed my head between my arms on the table and began sobbing. I wanted to cry. My life was ruined. Ruined! My first kiss from a _guy_?

"Nigaito?" I could hear the shock in Kaito's voice. He apparently thought I got rejected. "What happened?"

"Brother?" I felt Kaiko's hand gently patting my hair.

I refused to talk and instead sobbed, wanting but trying not to cry. I guess I looked ridiculous. I just wanted to die, my life was over anyway.

**Gumi**

And so the night went on. It was one in the morning when everyone turned wild. People danced, ate, and drank the night away. Gumo had offered me some wine but I refused. Instead, he brought me some carrot juice like I told him. I stayed at the table keeping Eri company. Besides, I was horrible at dancing; didn't want anyone staring at me while I made a fool out of myself and laugh.

"Here," Gumo sat on his chair beside me and gave me the glass of carrot juice. "Enjoy!"

"Gumo, you should stop drinking. You look like you will faint from the drowsiness any second now."

"Oh no! I won't miss this party!" he laughed. But his eyelids looked heavy. He was drunk. Very drunk.

I looked at Eri's plate of sushi that a waiter had brought her almost two hours ago. She hadn't touched it; I guess I did expect that. I took a sip of my carrot juice.

"Ooh! You know what I heard big sister?" I turned my head to look at Gumo, taking another sip of the juice. "Gakupo dumped Luka!"

I spit the juice in my mouth all over the rose vase in front of me. I refused to believe what he just said. "Where'd you hear that?"

"Ooh, I won't say, teehee!" he took another sip of his wine leaving the cup empty. "Aw, it's over."

I looked around for any sign of Gakupo or Luka but there was too much people going around. Part of me was glad that they weren't together anymore, but another part of me felt uneasy about it. Since my birth, I've always seen them together. I always envied her, but now, I couldn't help but feel a little bad for her.

I told Gumo I was going to take a walk around the place. His reply was: "Don't forget your juice!" and giggled like crazy. I felt a sweat drop forming on my forehead but I did as he said and took the glass of carrot juice with me. I then told Eri I would be back in a couple of minutes and made Gumo promise to stay out of trouble.

As I walked around the floor, I saw a few people sleeping on their tables. There were a few cups of wine and bottles of sake beside them. I tried not to laugh. I also saw that Meiko was on top of a table singing while she held a bottle of sake in her hand. On the dance floor, people were dancing like there was no tomorrow.

As I approached the buffet, someone caught my eye. I wasn't mistaken; it was Gakupo. With a cup of wine in his hand, he walked out to the balcony. I went after him but stopped at the balcony's entrance.

_What am I doing?_, I thought and another part of me answered that question. _Being stupid, duh. _

I took a deep breath, ignoring my stupid conscious answering back at me, and stepped into the balcony. I wanted to know if he was okay, that was all.

There were tables, half of them empty. They weren't decorated as the ones inside; these were less fancy-looking. The vases held flowers decorated with flying butterflies. It was odd that all the vases had butterflies flying around them but then I realized they were holograms.

Gakupo stood on one corner of the balcony. His glass of wine was untouched. I felt my face getting warmer as I approached him. I tried not to make any sounds but the tapping of my heels was a dead give away. He smiled at me as soon as he turned his head and saw me coming. I felt like melting right there.

"I was watching the city," he said in a soft voice. "All the lights make the stars disappear."

I walked to his side making sure to keep my distance and placed my arms on the balcony's edge and observed. He was right; there were no stars to be seen. Only the city's illumination.

Minutes ticked by but I didn't mind, I just wished they would last forever. Being by Gakupo's side made me feel like everything was perfect. At least at this moment, it was.

"Do you remember your past life?" he asked. I shook my head in response.

Nobody remembers their past life. All we know is that everyone was dying because of a virus that didn't have a cure at that time. The virus affected some of the organs in the human body and it spread very easily. Everyone was dying and scientists knew the human race would disappear if they didn't come up with something fast. They came up with the idea of replacing all our infected organs with artificially made ones. Half of our bodies are made up of artificial organs now and we're not called humans anymore. We're androids. And it doesn't end there. Every saved human ends up here in this city. If I am correct this is the only human, I mean, android preserve in the planet. The city is protected and part of the forest around it is protected also. Nobody knows what's beyond the forest. This is our home now. Only the remaining humans know of what's out there. They all work for the corporation now and they are highly protected. After everyone is saved, nobody remembers their past life. Apparently, the virus affected that part of the brain where all the memories are saved. That's why many of us call it birth or creation; we start at zero.

"I wish I did," Gakupo talked and I lost my train of thought. "I would like to know how my life was before I was created."

"Why do you say that?" I asked, feeling slightly embarrassed about talking.

"I don't know, curiosity I guess." He stayed silent after that.

We kept staring down at the city. I had never thought of what Gakupo had just said. I was never curious of how my life was before I woke up at the corporation. But some part of me didn't want to know; I guess some things aren't meant to be remembered.

"I-I'll be heading back now. My friend must be waiting for me," I suddenly remembered the glass of carrot juice in my hand. I drank what was left of it and left the glass on one of the tables.

"You mean the one with white hair and red eyes?" His question made me realize something I've never thought of before.

_No, it can't be. He was just a dream… was he? I don't remember…_

"Be careful with that girl," he was very serious.

I stopped walking for a second but then continued, not looking back. I wanted to get a last glance at him before I got back to my table but didn't. Does Gakupo know something I don't? Or am I too clueless to notice what's going on?

When I was approaching my table, I saw a very unusual scene. Ren was kneeling in front of Eri as if he were to ask her to marry him. He then took her right hand and kissed it in a very gentleman- like way. He looked up to her. His eyes were very drowsy and I realized he was drunk.

"Ren?" I called. "What in the world are you doing?"

"Ah, Gumi! I was about to ask this beautiful maiden to marry-"

"Ren! What are you doing?" Lin appeared and cut him off. "Don't tell me you're doing it again."

"Doing what again?" I tilted my head to the side.

"He got drunk and a few minutes ago he asked this orange haired girl to marry him," she went to him and grabbed his arm. "Stop fooling around brother."

She dragged him away. I could've sworn I heard him snoring after that.

I sat at my seat beside Eri and wondered where Gumo was. I looked around but there was no sight of him. I glanced over to Eri; there was no expression in her face of whatsoever. I wasn't surprised one bit.

"Sorry about my friend, he was drunk," I was trying to make conversation. Eri has never talked and I was very worried about that. Also, I just remembered Eri wasn't her real name either. "His name's Ren. He and his sister Lin own the art shop I went to the other day, you remember?"

I heard the sound of shattering glass nearby. An orange haired girl had bumped into a waiter that was heading back to the kitchen with a tray full of wine glasses. She waved her hands desperately as if trying to tell the waiter she was sorry. Then she stepped back and bumped into another waiter that was passing behind her and made him drop the plates he had on his tray also. Some people nearby chuckled while she stood there looking at both waiters in embarrassment. She then dropped to the floor and helped them both pick up the shattered pieces of plate and glass.

"Be right back," I told Eri and stood from my seat and headed to where the orange haired girl was. She was just three tables away.

I kneeled beside her and helped the three of them with the plates and glasses getting a little cut in my right hand while at it. I flinched. I felt the girl's stare on me and I glanced at her. Her face was slightly the color red from the embarrassment she must've felt and she had big orange eyes, the same color as her hair. She wasn't dressed for the occasion either; she wore a black coat with gray fur around the neck. The waiters stood up with their tray on hand and thanked us. I nodded and they dismissed themselves. I looked back to the girl but didn't find her. I stood and saw her going down the grand staircase and disappear from view. That was odd.

I then heard a boy's scream and got startled. I turned my head everywhere looking around for the source. I saw a few people gathering around a table and they were chanting my brother's name.

_What now?_ I quickly got annoyed, knowing that Gumo was up to no good again. I made him promise to stay out of trouble! Though I guess promises don't count when the other person is drunk. I sighed and went to the table. As I got closer, I saw what was happening. I wanted to kill Gumo.

There he was. My dear brother trying desperately to get to Nigaito so he could kiss him. He was making smooching sounds with his mouth as he did. Nigaito was screaming out of his mind and pulled Gumo's face away. Kaito was trying to hold Gumo back and Kaiko sat on her chair, covering her eyes in panic.

"Gumo!" I shouted and got everyone's attention. "What the hell are you doing? Get away from Nigaito!" I shouted and went to him, grabbed him by his ear, and pulled him away from the boy.

"Nigaito I'm so sorry! Are you alright? He didn't hurt you, right?" I worriedly asked him, feeling ashamed of what my brother did to him.

Nigaito just stood there and looked at me in complete sadness and embarrassment. His eyes got watery until he couldn't hold the tears any longer. He buried his face in his scarf and sobbed. Poor thing!

"No, no. Please don't cry." I stood by his side and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, making his head rest on my chest. "Gumo will not get close to you ever again, I promise." I shot a death glare at Gumo; his amused expression quickly turned into one full of fright.

I mouthed the words: "You're dead." He gulped hard. Nigaito was sobbing like crazy and it broke my heart to see him like this.

There were still people around the table observing. I shot a death glare at each one of them and they walked away almost immediately. Gumo also walked away and went back to the table, but not after winking at Nigaito. Kaito sat beside his little sister Kaiko and patted her back, making her know it was all over.

"Nigaito," Kaito called. "You okay there?" Somehow, he didn't seem concerned.

Kaiko started giggling. Did I miss something? There was something strange going on in the situation here. I looked down to Nigaito who was still sobbing but seemed to be calming down. He was also shaking like crazy. I caressed his hair.

For a moment, his breathing came to a stop which alarmed me. But after three seconds he took a deep breath. A minute passed by as I gently caressed his hair until he stopped sobbing completely. He turned his head upward and looked up to me.

"Are you better now?" I asked, smiling.

His cheeks turned a cute shade of pink. "Yes, I-I am…" He answered in a very low whisper.

I let go of him and he went and sat beside his sister.

"Thanks," Kaito said. "For making my brother feel better, I mean."

"You don't have to thank me; I just couldn't let Gumo get away with it. And seeing Nigaito like that, I couldn't just ignore him."

The sound of a piano was heard. We all turned our heads towards a little corner where the orchestra was playing to see people gathering around it. There was a guy playing the piano. He was amazing. He played it like a pro. From this distance, I could tell he was young; around my age maybe or a little older. He had his white hair all tied up in a little ponytail and he looked at ease; he put his soul into what he was playing. But I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

I kept staring at him in complete wonder and admiration like everyone else did until he suddenly glanced my way. I felt his shining red eyes pierce right through me for a second and I forgot how to breathe. Kaito asked if something was wrong. I didn't answer. Instead, I looked towards my table but I didn't find what I was looking for. Eri. She wasn't there.

Without a word I left Kaito's table and walked through the floor, searching desperately for Eri. I looked everywhere but she wasn't anywhere to be seen.

_No, this can't be happening. He was just a bad dream, a nightmare damnit! He can't be real! _

The image of his red eyes came to mind and it made me shiver. I hurried up my pace and went to the balcony. It was the last place but she was nowhere to be seen. Instead I found Gakupo. He was still there, this time sitting in a table.

"Gakupo!" I called. He looked up, startled by my sudden appearance. "Have you seen Eri? I can't find her anywhere!"

"Your friend?"

"Yes, the one we talked about earlier. I can't find her anywhere." My voice was trembling. Tears were starting to form in my eyes. I was afraid. I couldn't bear the thought of something happening to her.

"I'll help you look for her."

We walked inside and I immediately froze when I saw the guy again. He was on the other side of the floor facing me, just beside the kitchen's doors. He stared at me with a mocking grin plastered all over his lips. His gaze sent shivers up my spine.

_Dell_, I remembered his name. I felt someone nudge me.

"Gumi, are you alright?" Gakupo asked. I looked back at him and nodded slightly.

When I looked back, Dell wasn't beside the kitchen's doors anymore. I desperately scanned the place to find him until I saw he was going down the grand staircase and disappeared from view.

I ran after him, dodging tables and drunk people along the way. Gakupo called my name but I didn't look back. Right now I had more important things to worry about.

I almost fell and killed myself going down the stairs. I ran through the first floor which was empty; everyone was partying on the second one. When I went through the exit, a waiter stopped me. He had my hover board in his hands. I took it and thanked him, throwing the hover board to the sidewalk making it start its engines automatically.

"Gumi!" I heard Gakupo behind me. I turned my head and saw him coming to a stop beside me. "Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna go look for my friend," I said jumping onto the hover board.

"But Gumi, what's gotten into you? She's probably still inside; there are a lot of people there. Maybe you didn't see her-"

"Gakupo!" I cut him off. "She's not inside. He took her!"

Before he could say a word, I dashed forward and flew through the street at an amazing speed. The hat I had on was blown away by the wind and landed somewhere on the sidewalk. I didn't have time to go back and look for it. I could hear Gakupo shouting my name and for a second it made me regret having left him there. But I had a feeling that it was the right thing to do; he was safe.

_Safe,_ the word echoed inside my mind. Safe wasn't something I felt at the moment. I felt quite the opposite. Something told me I was getting myself in some trouble I shouldn't be sticking my butt into. But Eri was in danger. Dell somehow got a hold of her and she was kidnapped… But why? Why he had to take her? I didn't understand the situation one bit but one thing for sure was that I was very afraid of what might happen when I find her. _If_ I find her.

I wasn't sure where I was supposed to go or look. Dell was nowhere to be found. I didn't see Eri either. The streets were deserted; not a soul to be seen. I took a turn to my right passing by an antique store that showed some Russian dolls on the display window. The little antiques were lighted by a dim light that came from a few lamps beside them. I didn't have time to stop and contemplate them. I leaned forward, shifting my body weight to my left leg. It made the hover board go faster.

I saw someone running out of an alley. The person got too close and I was going too fast. If he didn't move, I would crash into him and send him flying, probably killing him in the process. But the person was holding what seemed like a pole in his hands and he swung it. It was too late to dodge. I felt a sharp pain on my stomach and I got held back, making the hover board dash aimlessly through the street until it crashed into a trash can. I fell to the sidewalk, wrapping my arms around my stomach while I grouched in the burning pain. I was almost sure a rib was broken. I saw two feet walking in front of me but then, black.

My consciousness was coming back and I remembered what had happened. I got hit on my stomach with a pole and then on the head. I felt something warm going down my cheek. Liquid. I figured it was blood. My head hurt so much it almost hurt to even think.

I tried opening my eyes but my eyelids felt too heavy. I just got a few blurry flashes when I managed to open them a little. It was dark but the moon shined down. I could make a few figures in the dark and see where I was.

I was in an alley lying down on the floor. A saw three silhouettes but it all went black again. When my head started to get used, but not entirely, to the pain I tried opening my eyes again.

Eri was on the floor face down a few feet away from me. She had her eyes partly open as if she was about to faint and her face and hair were covered in dirt. The purple rose she wore was now torn and lying on the dirty floor beside her face. A foot pinned her head to the floor.

"Dell, this isn't right." Someone said. It was a girl's voice but it sounded like screeching metal. If it would have been loud enough, it would've hurt my ears.

I tried moving but found that my body was numb. I didn't feel any pain, just the soreness on my stomach but I couldn't even move my fingertips. I panicked. Was I paralyzed?

I gazed up at the girl who had talked. I couldn't believe who it was. It was the same orange haired girl who I had helped back at the restaurant. She was holding a pole.

"Shut up, Miki. You decided on your own to follow me." A guy's voice said and I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I was scared to even think of who it was but I couldn't keep the thoughts out of my mind for too long. It was Dell.

I could recognize his voice anywhere after that night he tried killing me. I was scared out of my mind now.

I then remembered the city's security system. Haven't the cameras seen what's going on? Guards should've arrived a long time ago. Did they somehow manage to trick the system? If that was the case, this was it. I knew I wasn't going to live. He'll kill me right here and no one will notice. He'll kill Eri too.

Tears started to form in my eyes and I began to sob uncontrollably. I didn't want to but my body didn't obey me. I was scared to death. The two of them noticed me crying. Dell grinned and I shivered in fright. What he did after that made me want to scream in terror if I had the strength to. I wished I would've never seen what I saw.

He grabbed Eri's left arm and pulled on it. I saw how Eri's eyes stared right at me.

"Dell, don't!" The girl, Miki, pleaded. "Please, let's head back to HQ before they notice we are gone."

"I told you to shut up," he said and pulled even harder on Eri's arm. "An arm for an arm." He smiled wickedly.

I saw how he tore her arm apart. My eyes grew wide in horror. I waited for blood to start gushing out of her arm but it didn't. Instead, I heard a screeching sound of metal being torn apart. Wires and cables stuck out of what was left of her arm and Dell threw it to the floor beside her. It made a loud clank when it hit the floor.

A wave of emotions passed through me. Confusion, fear, shock, disturbance… I just couldn't believe my eyes.

I now realized what she was. Why she never talked, why she never moved, why she never had showed any feelings. Her unusual red eyes and white hair. She wasn't even alive. Eri was an Imitation. Just like Dell and the girl, Miki.

"I still have some unfinished business," he glanced my way. I was too stunned to even think about what he planned to do to me.

"Dell, just stop!" The orange haired girl grabbed his arm but he pushed her away immediately, giving her a nasty glare. Without saying a word, she stepped back and stayed quiet.

He approached me and grabbed me by the neck and pulled me up, pinning me to the wall beside me. My arms and legs were numb. My eyes never left Eri.

"I should pick up from where I left, this time with no interruptions." He squeezed my neck making me choke. His voice sounded like screeching metal and it hurt to listen to it.

This time I couldn't fight, I was going to die here. My gaze shifted from Eri to his face. His eyes showed excitement and his devilish grin revealed a fang. He truly wanted to kill me.

He leaned closer, making my heart stop for the tiniest second and he inhaled the scent from my neck. He then pulled back, revealing a hungry look in his eyes. My eyes filled with tears. I tried to scream but the soreness in my stomach didn't let me. Instead I let out a soft groan. This made him smile wickedly.

"Gumi!" Someone shouted and I almost cried out of joy. It was Gakupo. He stood at the end of the alley breathing heavily. "Help!" he shouted. This immediately triggered the security alarms.

"Shit," Dell hissed. He let go of me and I fell to the floor.

I hit my head hard and felt a sudden dizziness. Someone approached me and I felt arms embracing me and pulling me up into the air. I felt safe because I knew it was Gakupo.

Eri stared at me. There was no expression on her face but her eyes were telling me something. I could see the pain in her eyes. After everything that's happened, even being an Imitation, she did have feelings.

"Eri," I managed to say in a soft and almost inaudible voice. That's the last thing I remember saying. I blacked out.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**Gumi**

I slowly opened my eyes to the sunlight streaming through the window. I winced and turned my face away from the rays of light. I was lying on a bed in a hospital room and nobody was around so I raised myself and sat, noticing I wasn't paralyzed anymore. My forehead was wrapped with bandages and I remembered last night. A sudden shiver made the hairs all over my body stand.

Dell almost killed me. Just thinking about the look in his eyes made me want to scream and hide under the bed's covers. And Eri… I saw how Dell easily ripped her arm off but instead of seeing flesh and blood, I saw wires and cables. A sudden lump formed in my throat. These past days I had thought that Eri was normal, well, not exactly normal but shy. I thought she was just shy and odd. She was likeable, at least from my perspective. But now I knew what her problem was all along. Eri wasn't human and she was never alive. I had heard rumors about the so called 'Imitations' before but nobody ever believed them. I didn't believe Imitations existed either until I saw Dell the first time but over the next few days after that first encounter, I began thinking that maybe it was all just a dream. It was as if my mind slowly erased what happened that night back at my apartment and I began to doubt myself if whether or not it was real. So I just decided to forget about it and carry on with my life.

Bad mistake. Turns out he was real and he almost killed me. _Twice_. But why? I never did anything to him. And what he did to Eri was my fault. I should have never left her alone at the table. And right now I don't even know if she's alive or not. What if the city's security guards found her on the alley after the alarm activated? What if they took her and killed her? I know she isn't alive and she's an Imitation and that she's illegal but I couldn't help but worry. I felt horrible. I considered her a friend. Heck, I wished she was my sister but now I don't know what to think of her.

Tears started to form in my eyes but I held them back. I just hoped she was okay somewhere.

The door made a low hiss and slid itself open. Gakupo came in. He had his usual ponytail and he was wearing jeans and a black long sleeved shirt. I felt my cheeks getting warm and I quickly wiped away what was left of the water in my eyes. He approached my bed.

"How are you?" he asked with a smile.

I felt like melting right there. I just nodded, feeling too embarrassed to talk. I wanted to thank him from saving me last night but I just didn't find the right words.

"Can I sit down?" He glanced at the chair beside my bed and then back at me. I nodded again and he sat.

There was an awkward silence. I wanted to ask him about Eri but I couldn't talk because I didn't know where to start. I think he noticed how worried and speechless I was because he told me exactly what I wanted to hear.

"Eri is okay."

I felt the weight of the world bounce off my shoulders. "Where is she?"

"She's at my place."

"Thank you," I felt my cheeks getting red as I blurted out those two words.

"For getting you here to the hospital? You don't have to thank me."

"That, and for taking Eri to your apartment. She's safe, at least for now."

"Oh, I wasn't the one who took your friend to my place,"

"But…" If he didn't take Eri to his apartment, who did? Did she just somehow manage to stand up and walk?

"This girl with orange hair took her there."

A girl with orange hair. If he's talking about the girl who was with Dell, then it doesn't make any sense. Wasn't she an Imitation also and was allied with Dell? What if she didn't take her to Gakupo's apartment and took her someplace else instead? What if Dell killed Eri?

"But what if something happened? I mean, what if that girl just took her?"

"Don't worry, I went and checked on her."

I sighed in relief. "But… I-I'm a little confused with the situation." I scratched the side of my head.

"It's kind of a long story," he began and I listened. "Last night after you left on your hover board I went after you. After thirty minutes of looking for you, I found you and saw that that _guy _was hurting you…" he made a short pause, thinking what to say next.

He continued. "I activated the alarms. After that the guy ran away and disappeared. I went and grabbed you and I saw your friend…"

"Oh…" I looked down to my hands.

"Did you… see her…" he paused again, waiting for my answer. I knew he was about to say arm.

"Yes, I saw."

"I was about to leave her there; after all, I had to get you to a hospital. The guards were going to arrive soon and I didn't have time to stop and think what to do with her. The orange haired girl had stayed and she said she was going to get your friend to safety. I told her to take the girl to my place and gave her the directions. After that I brought you here and told the doctors you fell going down the stairs back at your building."

"But Gakupo, there are camera's there at my building, they are gonna check them and see that I never even passed by my place."

"I know, it was the best I could come up with at the moment when they asked but strangely, they haven't mentioned anything about it yet." His voice turned into a whisper.

What he was saying was very strange. They should have checked the camera's by now. How come they haven't said a word? They must know that I never went to my apartment last night and that that wasn't the reason I got hurt. And making an excuse about me getting beat up wasn't convincing either. There was hardly any violence in this city. Everyone got along just great. Unless Dell somehow took a hold of those security camera videos? What if he somehow deactivated the cameras? Maybe he made them temporarily unavailable? Can he actually do that? My mind was racing with ideas.

I realized I was being too quiet. "So you went to check on Eri?"

"Yes, I just came back. She's there with the other girl. She said she'll leave at night, it's safer for her. She also managed to attach the arm to Eri's body somehow. I think she's a mechanic."

"But… Gakupo, you do know you can get in trouble for having… them at your apartment, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then why are you taking the risk?" If it were another person, they would've turned them in immediately.

"I'm taking the risk because I know that if I do that, it will hurt you greatly. And she's a person, I can't just let her be killed."

A wave of relief swept over me and I thanked him. A nurse came into the room. We kept quiet the whole time she checked on me. She then left and the conversation continued.

"Gakupo, you do know that Eri and the other girl are-"

"Imitations," he completed. "I suspected your friend Eri was an Imitation since I first saw her yesterday in the evening. I confirmed it when I saw her detached limb."

"Oh... But how did you know? It... It never occurred to me and I've been with her for a while."

"She's lifeless. I never saw a hint of emotion on her face and she never moved from her seat the whole night. I didn't see her eat neither."

I felt like an idiot. How come it never occurred to me? It was _so_ obvious. After that, the conversation was over. The door slid itself open and Luka came in.

**Luka**

It wasn't like me to go after a guy when he had dumped me. I consider myself a proud person. And women who do so are just humiliating themselves. But Gakupo was different. It's been almost two years since we fell in love with each other and I was happy. But he had started to act a little strange since a while back and I never gave it much thought. Yesterday we had gotten into a fight when I caught him looking at Gumi and I feared the worst. He left me alone on the dance floor and went to that blasted girl after he told me that it was best to just be friends. He humiliated me and everyone saw what happened. I had to get out of there before someone saw me crying.

I followed him here. I just wanted to ask him if there was still a chance to get back together. I stopped in front of the door I had just seen him go in a couple of minutes ago. What is he doing here? Was he here seeing someone? I held some tears back and pressed my hand against the door. It slid open and I went in.

I was in front of my worst nightmare. Gakupo was sitting on a chair beside a bed where Gumi was. She had bandages all over her head and it made me wonder in what kind of trouble she got herself into. Hm, serves her right.

They looked at me in surprise and I forced a smile onto my face. "Hello," I greeted.

I planned it all in less than a second. I had to make it clear to Gumi that Gakupo still belonged to me. She needed to be reminded that I'm still his partner and that those two years are not going to waste.

"Gumi, I hope you're okay. Gakupo told me about your injuries and I came to see how you were." Lies.

"He did?" She glanced at Gakupo.

He frowned. "Luka, it's nice of you to come and check on Gumi but I know what you're-"

"Oh, Gakupo," I interrupted. "I also came to let you know that I'll be doing some eggplant stew for lunch so you should come by my place."

His eyes glistened in excitement. He loved eggplants and I have to admit they weren't that bad.

"Oh, well, thanks Luka but-"

"Gakupo can I talk to you for a moment? You don't mind right, Gumi?"

She was silent for a moment but then nodded. "Gakupo you should go, I mean, you should be with Luka. After all, she… she's your girlfriend and she's gonna make you food. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." She smiled at him and gestured him to come with me.

I went and grabbed Gakupo's hand and made him stand from his seat.

"We are going to have a good time darling." I assured him and we started towards the door.

"I hope you get better Gumi." I exited the room with Gakupo, hand in hand.

"You are going to have the best eggplant lunch ever, I promise." I said in complete excitement. But halfway through the hospital hallway, he stopped walking.

I looked back at him. "Something wrong?" I asked and I couldn't help but think that this was not going exactly as I hoped it would.

"Luka, you know we aren't together anymore. Why did you follow me here and expect that I was just going to play along to your charade and pretend it was all okay?"

"But… We love each other, Gakupo… Don't we? Don't you?" I felt a knot forming in my throat.

"No Luka. That's just you. I'm sorry." And with that he turned around and headed back to Gumi's hospital room.

I felt like dying right there. Tears formed in my eyes and this time I couldn't hold them in. I wiped them away before someone could see me and just turned around and headed to the elevator. It was all over between Gakupo and I and I can't do anything about it. I kneeled in a corner of the elevator and sobbed.

**Gumi**

I wasn't feeling so good. Gakupo just went with Luka to spend some time with her. I remembered what Gumo had told me about Gakupo breaking up with Luka but I knew it was a lie; it was too good to be true. My thoughts were interrupted when the door slid open and Gakupo came in.

"Where's Luka?" I dared to ask.

"She left." Simple answer.

He looked a little down and I couldn't help but think that something happened between them. Did it turn out that Gumo was right all along? I wanted to ask.

"Um, I-I heard that you and Luka..." What was I doing? I shouldn't butt into people's business like that, and much less _his_ business.

"Luka and I aren't together anymore." He blurted out.

I blinked twice; slowly processing the words as the silence quickly overcame the room. Was I happy? Yes, I was definitely happy and relieved. I didn't have to spend my days envying their love and envying _her_ for having _him_. It's very selfish of me and I admit it, but I can't help it. Was this my chance? Should I do something about it? Probably not. Gakupo is having a hard time now, I shouldn't push it. I do wonder what will it become of Luka. I've never seen her without Gakupo. I felt a little bad for her because she just lost a great guy, heck I would feel like her right now if that were to ever happen to me.

A doctor and another nurse came into the room. Gakupo stepped aside as they checked on me. The doctor gave me some pills with instructions and told me to take one whenever I got a headache. He also told me to come back to the hospital so he could see if my injuries were fully healed and finally, that I could go home. That was it. I was fully expecting him to tell us both that we were lying about my accident. Didn't he send an order or something so someone could check if what we were saying was true via the security cams? I mean, that's part of the doctor's job, or maybe the nurses do that, whatever. Point is that there's something weird going on here and I don't have a really good feeling about it.

I glanced over to Gakupo and saw that he had the same puzzled expression. We were both thinking the same thing. There was definitely something going on.

I took a step outside the hospital and breathed in the fresh city hair. I asked Gakupo what time it was. He searched in his pocket for something and pulled it out. A pocket watch. I expected a cellphone.

"It's almost six."

"I should be heading back now," I said and hesitated a little, not knowing what to do or say next. "Um, thank you for… everything you've done, I really appreciate it."

"You don't have to thank me, honestly." He smiled very warmly and my heart decided to overreact at that simple gesture. Jesus, I'm so lame.

"Oh, I almost forgot. I saved your hover board and it doesn't have a scratch on it. You were lucky."

"Oh!" I had forgotten completely about the hover board. "Where is it?"

"It's back at my place. If you want, we can go and get it right now."

I nodded.

We walked through the streets and I noticed that there were lots of people going by. I knew it was a long way back to his house since it's located in one of the first sections that were built in the city. If I walked from where my apartment building was, I could easily take about three to four hours to get there. That's why we stopped at the train station. It was crowded and people came in and out of the trains. There was one arriving at the station every five minutes and they got full of people. I didn't like it one bit and that's why I barely ever took it and why I decided to buy a bicycle.

Taking the train was a free service so Gakupo and I just went through the scanners at the entrance and waited in line for the next train to arrive. It got here in two minutes and we went in.

It was awfully hot with all the people shoved in there. Another reason to hate taking the train. Half an hour passed until we came to a stop. It was a little dark and after a few minutes walk, we arrived at his apartment.

"Sorry if it's a little messy," he said when we got to his door. He placed his hand on it and the door slid open. The lights inside his apartment automatically lit up as the door opened. I totally have upgrade my house.

The first thing I noticed about his apartment was the lack of order and cleanliness. There were pants hanged on the chairs around the dining table, t-shirts on the sofas, a pillow on the floor of the living room, a few dust bunnies peeking out of the carpet in the hallway; it was a complete mess. When I entered and got sight of the kitchen to my right, I saw that there was a spilled glass of water on the kitchen counter and drops landed on a puddle on the floor. On the other hand, the apartment was big and the furniture was nice.

One of the doors beside the living room opened and the orange haired girl came out. I immediately got hostile towards her. I could tell she got nervous as soon as she noticed I was here.

"Your friend is okay." She looked down to her feet while talking. "It's safe for me to go out now. I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble."

She started towards the door but I blocked her path, not taking my eyes off of her.

"Explain," I ordered. "What are you doing here?"

"Please, excuse me, I have to-"

"Sit." I cut her off. She looked at me with what looked like a worried expression but she obeyed.

I followed her to the dining table where we sat facing each other, the hostility never leaving me. Gakupo quickly began cleaning things up. He took all the pants on the chairs and threw them to a corner. He did the same with all the t-shirts and then grabbed a broom and started sweeping all the dirt around the living room.

"What are you doing here?" I asked again, starring at her right in the eyes.

Her eyes nervously wandered every bit of the apartment but they never landed on my face. I waited for her to talk.

"I-I wanted to help," she stammered in a low whisper. Her gaze was on the table now.

"Help?"

"Yes. I-I felt bad." She was talking so low that what she was saying was barely understandable.

"Bad about what?" her ambiguous answers were quickly starting to irritate me.

There was a short pause before she answered. "I felt guilty about what Dell did to you two. I should have stopped him but I didn't. I hurt you and he hurt your friend and I wanted to make it up to both of you in some way."

"If you feel so sorry, why were you with Dell in the first place?"

More silence. But there was something odd about it. She looked down to her lap and bit her lower lip. Did her cheeks just flushed?

"Oh." And then it clicked. I sighed in exasperation.

"W-What?" Her voice this time got out of control. It was so high pitched that I flinched.

From the corner of my eyes I saw that Gakupo had accidentally dropped the broom at the sound.

"Sorry…" Her gaze dropped to her lap and her voice turned into a low whisper again. No wonder she wasn't speaking up. There's something wrong with her vocal chords.

I rolled my eyes. "Dell. He's a great guy to fall for." I hope she got the sarcasm.

"He's sweet…"

"You're joking aren't you?"

"Well… At least he was back then…"

"Back then? What do you mean by that?"

Surprisingly, she spoke and talked about the first time she met him. I was a little skeptic at first but as she continued explaining I was convinced that she wasn't probably making it up. It was written all over her face that she liked him a lot. Probably one of the reasons she looked so comfortable talking about him.

"So you were thrown away by the Corporation when your voice wasn't working and Dell tried fixing your vocal chords? I can't get my head around the idea."

Gakupo finished sweeping and went to clean the mess in the kitchen.

"Please believe my story. I'm not lying nor do I have a reason to lie."

"No, not that. What I can't get my head around is Dell once being the sweet guy you're telling me about."

"Oh…"

"Why'd he change?"

"I… I really don't know." Her face filled with sadness at that moment. She almost looked as if she was about to cry. "I think it's my fault," she continued. "That time when he saved me… It was the only chance he had to get some documents containing information on how the corporation made the Vocaloids. We all know the base for making a Vocaloid is a human, or a sick human to be exact. But what he was specifically after was the information on how they made _me_."

"I don't think I'm following. What's so special about you that he had to get those documents."

"I'm not _human_."

"Aha… If you're not human then you are…?"

"An android. Or more specifically I'm an an-made.

Gakupo stopped cleaning. I just starred at her dumbfounded.

"Sure…" I reached out to her and pinched one of her cheeks.

"Ouch!" She slapped my hand away and rubbed her cheek. "Why did you do that?"

"Don't be a liar. How can you not be human if you felt that? If you're a cyborg or an android or whatever, aren't you supposed to be all like, I don't know, all metal and feeling-less. You are clearly flushed for Dell so you do have feelings."

"Ack! Let me just explain!"

"Shoosh! Lower your voice."

"Oh, I-I'm sorry I-"

"Ugh! What's with all the sci-fi confusing terms suddenly popping up? Just explain already what you're saying because I feel as if my brain will explode any second now at how confused I am at all of this you're telling me."

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean for you to be confused!"

I scratched my head furiously. Nothing made sense. Why do I even believe everything she's saying? All this is total bull! She's crazy! And besides, why would the Corporation throw her out? Do they even do that? Do they do that to the sick humans they can't fix too? That can't be!

I felt a cold hand on my shoulder which sent little chills down my arm. I looked up to see Gakupo silently chuckling.

"It's okay Gumi. Don't be so hard on yourself. I'll explain this for you as simple as I can."

"You... know about this stuff?"

"Yes. I once was confused too so I did some research. Asked a few people who knew about the topic and they told me everything."

"What kind of people know about this? Are Vocaloids even into that kind of sci-fi stuff? I mean, we live in a pretty sci-fi environment why should people take so much interest on it."

"No, I don't think anyone is interested in it," he pulled out a chair and sat beside me. "I asked some of the scientists back at the Corporation a few years ago."

"You have human friends?" Wow I should stop asking stupid questions. I feel like a five year old.

"Yeah, humans are very friendly. Well, we were all complete humans once so we aren't so different from them. We just have a higher life span and are immune to any kinds of sickness. I think humans are also more violent. You could say we are all almost perfect human beings if not for the additions of synthetic organs. So Vocaloids are really not human. We're cyborgs."

I just stared. I'm just trying to take this all in. I didn't understand anything. Why was my mind failing me now? I glanced at the girl and I almost laughed. She was just as clueless as I was.

"So… We're humans… but not humans?"

"Somewhat," he continued explaining. "There are a few terms you need to understand before fully grasping what a Vocaloid is. These terms are android, cyborg, robot, and sometimes a humanoid is confused with these terms so I'll explain it also. First of all a robot is a robot. Simple as that. A fully mechanical being with no intelligence of whatsoever. Then there's a cyborg. A cyborg is a human with robotic implants. Simple. You're understanding, right?"

I nodded.

"So Vocaloids are cyborgs because we are all humans with robotic implants. And sometimes all of this gets confused with a humanoid. A humanoid is a being similar to a human but not of the same species, like for example, a werewolf would be considered a humanoid… So, an android is a mechanical being made to imitate human behavior. Imagine a robot covered in human flesh. But it's all programming unless the android develops an artificial intelligence which is A.I. for short. So if the android develops an A.I. then it's considered an-made because the android becomes self aware and it becomes synthetic life and the creature exists as if it were truly alive."

Silence.

"… Please don't make me explain myself again."

I was literally speechless and not just at Gakupo's amazing knowledge. Somehow it all finally made sense. I glanced over to the girl again and noticed that she had the same surprised expression I probably had on my face right now.

"So… What you're saying is that she is an android that turned into… an-made?"

"Exactly." He nodded once and smiled. I could see in his face how accomplished he felt. It was the most charming thing ever.

"So… Is the Corporation really capable of throwing out unfixable human beings? That's… wrong."

"I really don't know," he said. "But keep in mind that not everything is as you see it. We have the proof right here in front of us. Who knew human scientists could develop an android with a fully capable artificial intelligence?"

"Yeah, but just because her voice wasn't working properly they just threw her out like that. That's very _inhuman_ of them. And cruel."

Gakupo shrugged.

"So okay. You're an android an-made, whatever. We get the point. You are a special robot who is capable of feeling and behaving like a human. That's pretty darn cool but, again, what's so special about you that Dell wanted to get those top secret documents on how the humans made you?"

She cleared her throat. "Yes, I'm the closest you can get to a human and a Vocaloid. I can think, feel, eat but even though I can do all that I can't _die_. Unlike Vocaloids who are still part human and eventually die of age."

"Wow, you can't die?"

"Yes. That's one of the reasons Dell was after the information. I don't think anyone has been capable of creating a creature like myself yet. But even though I can't die of old age, that doesn't mean I can't actually die. The Imitations can die easily. Put a bullet through their head and it will be enough. And so Dell lost that only chance he had to get that information."

"Can you explain what else affects the Imitations? I'm very interested on how they are built." Gakupo waited for her answer.

"Yes. You see, while an Imitation can easily be killed by being fired with bullets through their head or chest, a bullet will just ricochet off my skin so the one holding the gun against me is in even more danger than I am. It's kind of silly if you think about it. Also, an Imitation's system can be damaged with just water. It can die or malfunction with just that since they are all robots. Fire also affects them."

"So what you're saying is that Imitations can be harmed with elements." I said.

"Yes. You're right. They can be burned, electrified with water, and can be crushed with boulders while I won't be affected by any of that."

"But why did Dell want that information? What will he use it for anyways?"

"I don't really know. I've always asked myself why the Imitations even exist. I really have no idea what's their purpose. They're all just a bunch of experiments that don't work."

"Then who's creating them?"

"Well, I've never met her before. And I don't know her name either but when someone talks about her, they refer to her as 'our lady'."

"Wow, lame." I managed a smile. I was very stressed out. What in the world was I getting myself into? And Gakupo suddenly turned quiet. His face revealed a hint of worry. What was he thinking?

"I'm curious about something," Gakupo said. "You said you can still die so that means that aside from the elements and bullets, you have a weakness, am I correct?"

"Actually, I don't," She smiled. "The only way I can die is if I program myself to autodestruct. I'm not entirely sure why but it's a program I'm aware that I have. I've always known I had it but of course, I won't be using it any time soon. Probably never."

"What? Why do you even need that? I mean, why would the Corporation implant a program like that on someone?" I asked.

"I don't know."

"Hmm… But if you're indestructible and all, why did the corporation threw you out? I mean, it was only your voice that wasn't working."

"I really don't know…"

"There's an explanation to that," Gakupo spoke. "Master is obsessed with perfection. He's a good man but that's his worst flaw,"

"Really? But how do you know that?" I asked him in awe.

"I met him once, long ago."

"Perfection? That… explains things I guess," The girl said. She wasn't too excited about hearing that.

"I also wanted to ask," Gakupo began. "How do the Imitations get into the city? There are security cameras everywhere and why do they even bother to come here in the first place?"

"How do we brake into the city? The Imitations are able to do that, I don't really know exactly but they send a signal to the cameras nearby making them temporary unavailable. They do the same to the doors when they brake into places and to the gates and scanners." She explained. "Like I said, I'm not really sure how they do it. But a while back they put a chip below the skin on my left hand. It lets me get by without being noticed. I believe it's the same thing the Imitations have."

"That explains a lot." I said.

"And why do they brake in to the city?" Gakupo asked again.

"Well…" The girl began. "I- I'm not supposed to tell you this…"

"Spit it out, you won't leave until you answer all our questions," I said, raising my left eyebrow.

"Ah, well… You see, the Imitations come here to… recruit people."

"Recruit?" Gakupo asked, wrapping his arms around his chest.

"Yes, I can't find a better word. It's not recruiting exactly. Imitations come here to get data to create new Imitations. The stronger the data, the stronger the Imitation is. The data can only be used a couple of times before it auto erases. The stronger the data, the faster it will erase, but if it's weak data, then it will take sometime until it auto erases."

"I didn't understand anything you just said. What do you mean by data and it being strong or weak?"

"The data is like the DNA of a Vocaloid. An Imitation gets it by scanning you. The stronger you are the lesser Imitations there will be based on you. If you're weak, there will be at least ten to twenty Imitation copies of you. If you're strong, there may be a couple or just one."

"How do I know if I'm strong or weak?" Gakupo asked.

"I don't know."

"Wait…" I began, suddenly remembering something. "That first time I met Dell, he broke into my apartment and I saw that his eyes turned white for a second when I looked at him. He almost killed me while at it too…"

"He did that?" Gakupo's voice was filled with anger. I got startled at his sudden burst. I've never seen him get angry and it was new to me. I didn't know how to react.

"Ah, well sorry… The Imitations are not supposed to kill the Vocaloid they get the data from but Dell can get carried away sometimes…" She looked down to her lap, her cheeks turning a soft shade of pink. Was she embarrassed or ashamed? "And yes, that was a scan."

"They're gonna make a copy of me?!"

"I believe so, but it might take some time."

"So, if Dell is an Imitation, then who they got the data from to make him?"

"I don't know who he is since I've never seen him, but it was a few years ago. His name is Len Kagamine."

I gasped. Dell was the Imitation of Len?! What in the world is going on?!

"B-but, why hasn't Len said anything about it?" I asked.

"When Vocaloids get scanned, they forget it in time."

"That explains why I had begun to wonder if it was a dream. But what do they even want to do with the data and Imitations?"

"I've always asked myself that."

There was a brief silence after hat and then I remembered the reason why I came here.

"Hey, where's Eri?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"She's inside that room," She looked at a door beside the living room. "I'm not a very good mechanic so her arm might fall off again if she uses it too much."

"No, it's okay. Thank you." I said and she stood up from her seat.

"I will go now. Thank you for letting me stay," She said and bowed to Gakupo.

"I still have one last question if it's no bother." Gakupo said, also standing from his seat.

"Don't worry, it's not. You can ask."

"If they needed info on how they made you, why didn't they just experiment on you?"

She smiled proudly. "They couldn't cut through my skin."

I couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh, another question, sorry. I was gonna ask you earlier but I forgot," I started. "You said that bullets, fire, water and all that stuff can't hurt you unlike the Imitations. Does that mean Eri can be affected by those things?"

She nodded. A sudden thunder was heard in the distance and along with it came drops of water. We all looked outside to the city through the balcony and the sky was pitch black.

"Thank you again and good bye." The girl started towards the door.

Before she left I stopped her. "Hey," I said and she looked back. "You should come visit us sometime. I'm sorry for being an idiot earlier. I was just a little angry. And thanks for helping Eri."

She smiled widely and gave us a big nod. "Please, don't tell anyone about this conversation. I was not supposed to tell you anything."

The door slid open and she stepped into the hallway. The door closed. I suddenly remembered something and I quickly stood from my seat and ran to the door and stepped into the hallway. I saw that she was already at the end of it.

"Hey! I forgot to ask you your name!" I shouted, loud enough for her to hear me but low enough to not disturb the neighbors.

She looked back and smiled widely again. "SF- A2 Miki!" She then turned and disappeared into the next hallway. 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**Len**

I looked up to the starless sky and wondered what hour it was. I forgot to check the clock before we left. Rin and I were walking down the sidewalk, heading to the hospital. She walked very slowly, tightly holding her stomach and moaning from the pain. She concluded it was food poisoning.

"I told you to go to the hospital earlier, but no. You had to wait till it got worse."

"Shut it, Len." She spat and held her stomach even harder. "Ugh… I'm never gonna party that hard ever again."

"Yeah, I'll make sure of it. What did you eat anyways?"

Her face turned green. "I don't want to see barbecued pork ever again…"

A blue haired girl passed by us on a hover board in a dash, leaving a gust of wind behind. Times like these made me wish I had money. Rin is sick and she has to walk to the hospital a few blocks away from our apartment. Just what kind of city is this? While I was having my internal whining, a black cat ran past me, almost making me trip.

"Well, that's a bad omen," Rin pointed out. "You should be careful now, Len."

"Wasn't the cat thing supposed to be after midnight?"

"Some say that but-" Before Rin could finish her sentence, someone dropped a bucket of water from the building floors above and it landed on her head, splashing her completely. She screamed in astonishment and quickly tossed the bucket aside and looked up to send a few curses to the person who accidentally dropped it. They guy who dropped the bucket was waving his hand at her and shouting a few apologies.

"APOLOGIES MY A-" I wrapped my hands around her mouth before she started saying bad words again and laughed.

"Who's the one with bad luck now, huh sis?" I held my laughter in while she struggled to free herself from my grasp. "Calm down or else you'll get sicker!"

I took off my green sweater and wrapped it around her. Her face was red from the anger. Can't blame her.

"We should get to the hospital quick. You might catch a cold now."

"Len, stop being so over protective. I'm the older one here!"

"Older one? By how? Three minutes?" I gave her a toothy smile. "That makes no difference, you're still my sis and I look out for you right?"

She mumbled a few words and looked away. As always, stubborn. She never changes. I wonder if all sisters are like that.

We kept walking while she held her stomach and complained again and again about never eating pork again.

"Almost there Rin…" I guided her until we came to a stop across the street were the hospital building was.

I looked up and lost count of the floors after thirteen when a sudden hover board dashed right past the street. The hover board was big enough for three people to ride it, which in fact, there _were_ three people riding it. I was surprised to see who they were.

"Hey, it's Gumi and Gakupo!" Rin's mood suddenly lit up, seeming to forget all about her stomachache. "Who's the third person with them? He's too small to be Gumo."

"I think its Gumi's quiet friend."

"Ah, Eri was it? I don't remember her much."

"Yeah, let's go see what they're up to." I wrapped my arm around her waist and helped her cross the street.

The sidewalk was dimly lit by the giant hologram screen that floated above the street. There was one like it in almost every street of the city. Don't really know if the newer sections of the city have them but they all showed the same thing at the same time. Right now there was a Dr. Pepper commercial showing some animated superheroes drinking it. It was probably being broadcast throughout the whole city.

On the other side of the street, two girls jogged by, one with dirty blonde hair and the other with really pale skin. Each was dressed in short pants, tank tops, and running shoes. I remembered a time when I tried doing some exercise but gave up because of my lack of stamina. I do wonder why they're exercising at this time of night. It's probably past seven already. I lost my train of thought when the pale one elbowed her friend and they both looked my way and giggled. I felt my cheeks getting warm with embarrassment. Rin didn't seem too happy about it.

"Stupid fangirls…" She kept mumbling some other things but I didn't listen. Instead, I concentrated on getting to the hospital's entrance where Gumi, Gakupo and Eri were. They were all jumping off the hover board.

"Stay here with Eri." Gumi ordered Gakupo as she turned and entered through the hospital's sliding doors. Gakupo looked as if he didn't like the idea. He soon noticed us approaching.

"Evening twins," Gakupo greeted waving his hand. "I'm guessing food poisoning?"

"Yep, too much pork…" I felt Rin flinch at the word pork. "It's a touchy subject now."

"I see." He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, looking uncomfortable.

I looked over to Eri who was standing behind Gakupo, almost seeming to blend in with his shadow.

"Hi," I said, hoping this time I'd get a response. "How you've been Eri?"

Rin shifted uncomfortably and moaned in pain.

"I should get you inside, quick." I said changing subjects, knowing that the quiet girl wasn't going to talk.

"Hey," Rin turned to Gakupo before I made her go through the hospital's entrance. "Why are you three here?"

"Ah, well, it's a long story actually…Gumi hit her head pretty hard and was in the hospital yesterday. She came by because she hit herself accidentally _again_. But anyways, Len can you stay here with Eri while I get your sister inside? I also want to check on Gumi."

"But-"

"Sure." Rin caught me off and entered the hospital along with Gakupo. She looked at me before entering and I could have sworn she winked at me.

Now I was awkwardly staring to the insides of the hospital just a few feet away from Eri without having a clue of what to do or say. Without moving my head I looked at her. She was staring at the sliding doors, her hair and face covered by the hood of her black and purple coat. What was I supposed to do now? If I asked her something she was clearly going to ignore me. Maybe she didn't like me…

I felt a sweat drop going down the side of my face and I wiped it away. I thought of the possibilities. Should I just go into the hospital and leave her there or try and make conversation and fail miserably? Leaving her here wouldn't be too polite… No, it _wouldn't_ be polite at all.

"So…" I began and hesitantly looked her way. "What you've been up to lately?"

I waited for her to respond but she didn't. Yeah, I totally wasn't expecting that… I let out a small sigh and wondered if she talks to Gumi. I've always thought Eri was shy but this is too much. She never reacted to anything. All the times I've seen her, her face always showed less expression than a brick, even now. She hasn't moved an inch since I arrived with Rin.

I searched in one of my cargo's pockets for a banana I had brought and pulled it out. I mindlessly began peeling it like I've done hundreds of times before and took a bite out of it.

"You like bananas?" I asked with my mouth full of the mashed fruit. "They have a lot of potassium which helps with body tissues and cells and stuff. You should try them sometime, they're really good."

There was another moment of silence and I honestly I couldn't take it anymore. There was too much tension.

"Hey, you don't ever talk, why is that?" I asked, hoping that I might get a response. "Are you afraid of talking to people?"

No response again and I began to think that maybe she couldn't talk at all. I felt like an idiot now. Here I was whining to her that she doesn't talk but what if she's mute? I felt like disappearing from the face of the earth. She must hate me by now. I decided to shut up and wait for Gumi, Gakupo and Rin to get back.

After a minute, a sudden drop of water landed on my nose. Another one followed after that one and it landed on my forehead. In a minute, it began to rain. I quickly finished eating the banana and stuffed the peeling inside one of my pockets after finding no garbage bins around.

"Hey, let's go inside." I told her but she didn't move. Instead, she slowly raised her head to look at the dark and cloudy night sky. It was the first time I had ever seen her reacting to something. My eyes lit up in excitement.

"Do you like the rain?" I asked her, my tone obviously filled with enthusiasm, but she didn't respond. I didn't mind. Seeing her finally moving was good enough and I didn't feel like a jerk that much now.

The rain started getting a little heavier and we both just stood there. I liked the feeling. I jumped off the sidewalk and splashed on a little puddle of water on the street.

"Hey, Eri!" I stretched my arm and took her hand, pulling her to the puddle I was standing on. "Try it."

She stumbled a little and made a little splash when she landed on the puddle. I let her hand go and started jumping on random puddles of water scattered around the street. My sneakers were now soaking wet and my bangs were starting to stick to my face. I kicked another puddle of water and sent water splashing forward.

"Chu, chu, chu ,chu…" I sang quietly. I was soaking wet by now. I looked back at Eri who just stood at the same spot beside the sidewalk. Her head was lowered to my surprise. Maybe water landed on her eyes? No, it didn't look like it.

I approached her hoping she might react to seeing me getting closer but she didn't. Her head stayed the same.

"Are you okay?" I lowered my head to get a look at her but what I saw sent currents down my spine. Her eyes were wide open and her face looked pained. She still had that same emotionless look but something about her face hardened. As if she was enduring pain. I asked her again if she was okay but at that moment, right before my eyes, she collapsed to the sidewalk.

"Eri?!" I was dumbfounded and before I could think of aiding her, Gumi came out running through the hospital's entrance.

"Len, what have you done?!" She yelled and I felt her hand slap my face.

Everything happened so fast that I didn't have time to react. I still wasn't through the shock of seeing Eri fall unconscious and now Gumi was accusing me as if it was my entire fault.

"Gakupo, get him. Now!" She ordered and I did as she said. I rushed to the inside of the hospital and ran straight to the reception area, ignoring all the stares. I slipped a few times due to my wet sneakers but kept moving. Before I could ask the nurse in what room Rin was, Gakupo appeared with Rin by his side. He helped Rin walk with one hand and in the other he carried Gumi's hover board.

"Something happened?" He asked with a worried expression.

"Len, why are you soaking wet?" Rin raised an eyebrow.

I forgot how to talk at that moment. What was I supposed to tell them? I opened my mouth and tried talking but nothing came out and ended up gaping. I looked like a fish out of the water. I quickly pointed my finger towards the entrance and we all looked outside but the rain made it hard to see what exactly I was pointing at.

"Gumi!" I finally managed to speak and with only hearing her name, Gakupo ran outside.

"What happened?" Rin shouted. Her expression was demanding an explanation but even I didn't know what happened.

"I don't know…" My voice came out in a low whisper.

Rin quickly walked outside trying not to force herself and I followed. We both saw how Gakupo threw Eri on to his shoulder and jumped on to the hover board behind Gumi. The hover board dashed forward and the three of them disappeared in the heavy rain. That was the last time I saw Gumi and Eri in a very long time.


	10. Chapter 10

And a few words in this chapter you might not understand or know:

AkuMalen= Akuma Len= Devil Len  
MaRin= Akuma Rin= Devil Rin  
Moe= Basically, its character appeal cuteness.  
Fundoshi= Traditional Japanese undergarment for adult males, made from a length of cotton. Like the underwear Gakupo wears in his Dancing Samurai PV! xD

* * *

Chapter 10

**Miku**

"No." I said and she showed me another one. "No."

Her small hands looked for yet another hair piece.

"No." I disapproved again. "I don't like anything of what you're showing me."

Hachune jumped off the chair and ran to the inside of my closet. After a minute, she came out running with a tiara in her hands. She struggled to come back up the chair and I helped her. When she finally stood firmly, she placed the tiara on my head making sure she wouldn't ruin my hair. I had spent three hours trying to achieve the perfect curls for my pigtails, and I did.

I observed myself in the mirror. "Hmm… Do I still look like Juliet?" I glanced at Hachune through the mirror.

She nodded and I looked back at myself. "No, I don't think so." I sighed and carefully took the tiara and handed it to Hachune. "I think I won't wear anything on my head."

She nodded. I looked down to my bare feet and examined them. The manicure was also perfect.

"Now for the shoes…"

Halloween. Another holiday for me to shine. Last year I dressed up like an Egyptian goddess and got first place in the city's Halloween costume contest. This year I decided to go Victorian so I choose Juliet from the famous Shakespeare story. Sadly, I was looking more like a Victorian princess than like Juliet.

Hachune came back from the closet with another pair of ballet flats. "Change of plans. Bring me some high heels. I'll be a Victorian princess instead of Juliet."

Hachune looked at me with the same expression her face always seemed to have and went running back to the closet to look for more shoes for me to try on. After another hour or so, I was finally ready. I looked at the clock hanging on my room's wall and saw that I was a little late. It was almost five in the afternoon and I wanted to see Len quickly. I was a hundred percent sure he was going to love me once he saw me dressed like this.

I was dressed in a bloody red and black ball gown. It was decorated with black lace and bows everywhere, the corset made my waist look smaller (which was good, not that I really needed to look thinner), and I was loving the sweetheart neckline. Not to mention the beautiful black diamond necklace and earrings that I bought.

I looked at myself in the mirror and thought about Len. I wanted to spend this afternoon with him and finally confess my love to him but Rin was gonna be there. Why doesn't she go away and leave us alone? She's such a nuisance.

"I'll be back a little late." I told Hachune as I pulled a black glove up my arm. I walked out of my room and into the living room. Hachune just nodded once and proceeded to the balcony as she always does every time I go out.

Strangely, I felt bad and guilty. "Hachune…" I called her and she turned her head to look at me. "Want to come along?"

She looked at me for a moment but then shook her head and turned back to the city.

"Oh well, do as you like…" I went to the refrigerator and took out a leek. "I was gonna give you this leek if you came along but I'll eat it instead."

As I walked towards the front door, I heard little running steps coming from behind me. I glanced back and saw how Hachune pulled on my dress and extended her other hand asking for the leek. I smiled and handed the vegetable to her. She threw it into her mouth and went running back to the balcony. I shrugged.

Downtown was completely crowded. I could barely walk around without people bumping into me and the big dress I had. Of course, people still made way for me as soon as they saw me but it wasn't enough. Halloween was strangely full of life this year. There were pumpkins with creepy and fun faces carved into them in every corner you looked. If you looked up, there were black and orange ribbons hanging from one building to the other along with white balloons with ghost faces drawn onto them. The streets and sidewalks were also covered in confetti and blown up pieces of balloon. The giant floating hologram screens on top of each street had Halloween and candy commercials showing. But mostly, the streets were covered with people in costumes and bags full of sweets and all that stuff that leave your teeth rotten.

It was getting dark and downtown got even more crowded than it already was. I was having trouble trying to find Len and was also starting to worry about not finding him at all! And even worse, everyone was wearing costumes. What if Len was wearing a mask or had his face wrapped up in bandages or even worse, had ugly make up on? It was going to be impossible for me to find him! And I don't want to be seen with him if he dressed up like a clown…

"Miku!" someone called. "Hello!"

I looked around but saw no one until I looked down and saw a little girl dressed up in a Hello Kitty suit.

"Hello there. Can I help you with something?"

She extended her hands up to me with a piece of paper and a pen. "Can I have your autograph please? I'm your biggest fan!" she looked at me excitedly and I could've sworn her eyes turned to stars.

I took the paper and the pen and smiled at her. "Okay, what's your name?"

"Iroha Nekomura! I'm new, nya!" she said in excitement as I wrote on the paper.

I handed her the autograph and she snatched it from my hands very eagerly. She then happily skipped away and I just stood there, my mind entirely thinking of Len. Too busy to be happy about someone asking for my autograph. Although it's happened many times before so I guess maybe I got used to it.

Right after the Hello Kitty girl left, I glanced at the store that I was just passing by. The colorful neon sign on top of the entrance read: "Shion Ice Cream".

"Wait…" I stopped for a moment to think this through. "Kaito has an ice cream store now? When did this happen?"

I went and opened the doors. The shop was filled with Vocaloids in costumes everywhere. All the tables were taken and everyone was eating ice cream. As I stepped inside, I got greeted by Kaiko, who wore a black and white frilly maid dress.

"M-Miku! Welcome!" She looked surprised to see me. Probably didn't expect some one like me stopping by some ice cream store, though she has a point. I'm just curious.

"Hi Kaiko. I just wanted to know when this store opened?"

"Ah, it opened today! The inauguration's about to start! Would you like to stay? I can get you a table."

"Oh, no thank you. Good luck with the store." I smiled at her and turned around to leave.

But as I did, I almost died from a heart attack. A kid in a red and horrifying devil mask with a long nose came rushing in, past me and then jumped on top of the counter where Kaito was serving ice cream. Everyone was surprised, some even screamed from the sudden appearance of that devil child. He was dressed in a yellow and black suit with black short pants, purple long socks and black Mary Jane shoes. He also had a short black cape over his shoulders with zigzag ends and some of his yellow streaks of hair were painted purple. He somewhat looked familiar… And then music began playing from out of nowhere.

"Ha!" he shouted and took off his mask with a swift move of his hand, revealing his face. "How are you? The great me, devil so! AkuMalen!"

I gasped along with all the people here. Len?! What is he doing? I looked over to Kaiko who was smiling. I somehow realized what was going on. This was probably a set up. A little show for Halloween in Kaito's newly opened store. The inauguration Kaiko had mentioned just a few moments ago. I quickly glanced at everyone in the store; some had their spoons stuck inside their mouths as they processed what was going on while others had their mouths opened in amazement. A blonde girl even dropped her ice cream cone.

Len stood there at the top of the counter and raised his hand to his forehead and looked at everyone in the store with a devilish smirk on his lips. "Where are you? Who are we gonna play a prank today?" He sang.

I stood there dumbfounded, just like everyone else in the store, looking at Len dressed up as a little devil singing a song about who he's gonna prank. Just…What?

Len turned around and looked at Kaito who was just below him, with a vanilla ice cream cone in his hand and some change in the other. "New face, conceit, blue fundoshi guy!" he pointed his finger at him and continued singing.

I was still too shocked to even comprehend the words. They were a blur. He then jumped off the counter and ran around the store. And as he did, he pushed people, jumped on chairs and tables. He even stopped for a brief second to snatch the pink skirt of a girl and raise it up, revealing her pink frilly panties. It was the same blonde girl who had dropped her ice cream cone. She screamed in embarrassment and I felt my blood boil in jealousy and rage. I felt like strangling her.

"Devil is pretty. Devil is invincible, no matter what I do, it's devilish!" Len sang as he jumped on a chair and then on a table, making a guy almost fall out of his seat. "I'm the great devil so! AkuMalen, I'm the best! Today we are gonna make a welcome. New face, pretty man, blue cute butt, welcome to our place, I will take good care of you."

Kaito suddenly began singing, the ice cream cone still in his hand. "Eh-eh-eh? M-Monster?! What is this? W-Who are you?!"

Len jumped off the table and ran around again, passing by some tables filled with people and their melting ice creams. "I'm the great, so! Pretty brief, AkuMalen!" He went and jumped on the counter again and continued singing along with the music playing from an unknown place. "Merry person and happy to see you so much! Nice to meet you! Aren't you excited about what's the present? Hey be ready!"

As he sang those last few words, he pulled out his tongue, making him seem even more devilish. That made me feel like melting. He then pulled out a girl's school swimsuit from underneath his cape and held it up for everyone to see.

Kaito screamed and ran to the other side of the store, dropping the ice cream cone along the way, which he later regretted because he seemed like he was silently sulking. People began laughing and liking the little show. As for myself, I was too caught up looking at Len that I didn't let myself relax and actually enjoy it. Len looked very, very good. I suddenly began getting hot, especially my face.

_No! My makeup will get ruined! Calm down, calm down_, I told myself as I began slowly inhaling and exhaling.

Len jumped off the counter and began walking towards Kaito. "Everyone, everyone! Come here and gather, but only MaRin! Don't come!" as he sang those words, he glanced my way.

My legs suddenly went numb and threatened to make me fall. My cheeks got hot and my hands trembled. Did he notice my state? Did he notice I was looking at him like a total idiot? But then I began thinking. I was standing right in front of the door. Was he waiting for someone?

Len shoved the swimsuit up Kaito's face, making him fall back on his rear. "It's a present, better accept it! The power of devil, I will show you!" Len pulled out a blue sheet from under his cape and it made me wonder how he fit all that there. "RinLenRaririn! Become little-magician-school-swimming suit!"

Kaito screamed again as Len threw the sheet over him. After that I couldn't see too well what was going on. All I heard was more singing from Len and Kaito but people began laughing very hard and I couldn't understand too well what they were saying.

"Quick! Undress." Len ordered Kaito, which made a lot of girls scream. I glanced to my back and saw that there had been people standing outside looking at the show. A _lot_of people actually.

"Eh?" Kaito replied.

"The fundoshi is in the way too!"

"EHH? W-what are you gonna do?!"

"Imma pull it in one go!"

Kaito screamed yet again after that and a lot of people stood up to see what was going on and what was Len doing to Kaito. Which in fact, I didn't want to know or see. There was the screaming girls again, or should I say, fangirls. It was annoying.

"Eh? What's up with this guy?" Len sang after a few short moments. "I think I like this! Why is this guy… so cute?"

I felt my face getting hot again. _What in the world is he singing?! _

I took a few steps forward, trying to see what was going on but I couldn't. There were a lot of people blocking my view. They all howled in laughter. Some people even began dancing while most of the girls were all screaming in embarrassment. But then I saw it. The horror. Kaito was dressed in a magical girl school swim suit.

"Merry person and happy to see you so much! How is this outfit! You would be mistaken as a perverted idol-" there was a sudden crash coming from behind me and I couldn't help but scream my lungs out.

Everyone looked my way and two persons came rushing in from behind me. They ran and jumped over tables, avoiding the crowd and quickly got to Len. They were two blonde girls. They were both dressed the same way with black and yellow outfits, but one had a frilly dress and horns on her head while the other had a mid-belly tank top and short pants with a spike collar around her neck. Their outfits looked similar to Len's. Two more devils? But they seemed familiar… Two devil Rin's?!

"Oh Leeeen!" they both sang and Len screamed.

They continued singing but everyone was making a lot of noise and I couldn't hear too well what they were saying. Something about the MaRin's being mad at Len for using their swimsuit gift on Kaito. I went and got closer, getting a clear view of what was going on.

"You! Little magician!" the Rin in the frilly dress called Kaito.

"Yes!" he replied obediently.

"Make this spiky-head wear this!" the Rin with the revealing costume ordered him.

"Yes!" Kaito replied again.

"Press him down!" the frilly dress Rin yelled as she struggled to hold Len.

"GYAAAAA!" Len screamed.

The two MaRin's and Kaito covered Len and nobody could see what they were doing to him. "Merry person and happy to see you so much! Not! What IS this?!" Len sang as he struggled to get free but couldn't. "It's supposed to be me playing a prank on the newbie!"

"Pretty and happy and congratulation Len!" The two Rin's sang, still holding Len down. "For you who've awakened! Backing up with a song, sing me a song since I want to hear one! Music… start!"

After that, the three of them got off of Len and everyone saw what they did to him. I had to hold my ears because of the screaming fangirls. But when I got a good look at Len, I saw that he only had one item of clothing on him. A white fundoshi around his hips. My jaw almost broke and fell to the floor. I felt my cheeks get really red and hot. I couldn't look away. I was actually seeing Len almost naked. And then the rhythm of the song changed to a song that I knew. It was Len's Run Away Song. At least that's the title I think it had.

"Ahh, my singing voice brightening the dark, please beside with the light." He sang into a microphone that appeared out of nowhere.

"You sing too!" the Rin with the revealing outfit ordered Kaito.

He quickly went and stood by Len dressed in the magical girl school swimsuit and sang along with Len. "Ahh, I hope my singing voice makes everyone bloom a smile."

"There's not enough moe!" one of the Rin's yelled but I wasn't sure which one was it. I was too busy trying not to have a nosebleed from looking at Len too much. Kaito and Len suddenly screamed again.

The doors from the back of the store opened and everything went quiet as Gakupo came rushing in dressed like a samurai.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he drew his katana.

"Kiran!" the two Rin's looked at him with a devilish look on their faces and they both went and grabbed his arms.

"W-What are you-" Gakupo couldn't finish his sentence because he got dragged through the back doors again and out of everyone's view. Then his scream was heard. And the music ended.

Everyone cheered and clapped their hands. Len and Kaito bowed, Len still in his fundoshi and Kaito still in his girl swimsuit. I knew I was red all over. I wanted to go and hug Len (tackle actually), and congratulate him on his great performance but I was sure I wasn't going to be able to maintain my calm. I would get redder (if it were possible), I would start shaking and I would sweat like crazy. I couldn't help it! Len was almost naked! Who wouldn't react the same way as I was right now? Having internal conflicts as to whether go up to him or stay here like a total idiot?

Gakupo and the two MaRins came back in. The crowd surrounding Len and Kaito moved over to cheer them, leaving the two of them with just a few people around. This was my chance. I would go up to him, congratulate him and confess my love to him. I was a hundred percent sure he was going to love me. And even more when he sees me dressed so elegantly and beautiful as I was.

I started walking towards him, passing a few tables, slowly getting to where he was. I could hear my heartbeat up in my ears and my hands got sweaty and shaky. My legs even began to wobble a bit. From the corner of my eye I saw that Kaito was busy talking to some girl in a bee costume, leaving Len all for myself.

The spiky blond suddenly looked straight at me. I saw how he eyed me up and down and I couldn't help but shy away a little. But deep inside in my own little world, I was jumping of joy. He was finally going to love me! My brief blissful moment disappeared as soon as I saw his face expression change from wonder to horror. I instantly turned to look back and saw that the two Rins were right behind me and the one with the short pants and spikes collar held a bucket dripping with water.

"Happy Halloween!" they both said and the Rin with the bucket made an attempt to throw the water at me.

It all happened in a blur. Another green haired person suddenly appeared out of nowhere and put his feet in the way and made Rin trip. The bucket full of water landed on her head and she got splashed completely. She desperately waved her arms everywhere trying to get a hold of something but she accidentally hit the other Rin pretty hard which made her stumble and then slip with the puddle of water on the floor. As she slipped, she stepped on my dress and tore one side of it. I took a few steps back, not believing what just happened. I looked down to my dress and saw that half of my leg was visible.

"No! Not again!" the bucket-headed Rin yelled. She took the bucket and threw it away.

"You…" I looked at her with a menacing look. "What have you done?!"

I was ignored.

"Lin!" a boy yelled. "That's not nice!"

I then noticed that the Rin in short pants had blue eyes and the one in the frilly dress and horns stuck to her head had black eyes.

"Crap! Of course it's not nice!" Lin yelled back as she shook her feet back and forth trying to get the piece of fabric stuck to her shoe out. "The prank totally backfired!"

"No! It didn't backfire!" Rin turned to look at a table beside us. "It was all Gumo's fault!" She accusingly pointed her finger at him.

I angrily looked to my right and got freaked out by the four people who were sitting there. Where they there just a few seconds ago? The four of them were staring at us while each ate an ice cream cone. From left to right was Ren who had his hair spiked up and was wearing a white buttoned shirt with a black tie, and a black unbuttoned suit. Right next to him was Gumo, who had a black turtleneck jacket with red goggles and messy hair. Gumi was wearing the same thing as Gumo, a black turtleneck jacket, red goggles and messy hair. But the fourth person I didn't recognize. She had long orange hair and she was wearing pitch black sunglasses and a black coat with black fur around its neck. They all looked like crazy gothic punk people. Or whatever those freaks are called.

"My fault?" He innocently asked, fixing his goggles and licking his ice cream.

"Yes! _Your_fault!" Rin shouted at him. People were starting to look at us funny. "And besides! Where the heck you suddenly come from? You weren't there last time I checked!"

"We were always here…" Gumo said.

"Observing…" Ren followed.

"Watching…" Gumi finished.

"Because…" The orange haired girl suddenly spoke in a low whisper.

"We are the Secret Police!" The four of them said in unison. "The ones controlling the government, the nation's peace-keeping department!"

The stupid conversation went on. I was furious. Everyone was looking at us and my dress was ruined thanks to the two stupid Rins or MaRins or whatever they call themselves. My only chance to talk to Len got ruined thanks to these people. I wanted to cry from all the frustration I felt. I dared looking back at Len and found that he wasn't there. Did he go change his clothes? Maybe he didn't see what happened. And even if he did, this was my chance to quickly go back to my place and change costumes before he saw the now disastrous torn dress.

Still very angry with urges to slowly and painfully kill the two MaRins, especially Len's sister, I decided it was best not to let them now I was in such state. Nor the people around us; it would be bad for my reputation. In the eyes of people, I am the always sweet, nice and cheerful girl that everyone loves because I "love" and "care" for everyone I know.

"Oh, this is bad," I said out loud, catching everyone's attention. "I should go change into another costume. And it was such a nice dress!" I pouted.

I tried my best to act sad and not mad and about to loose it. It worked.

"Miku, you still look beautiful!" Someone from the crowd said.

"Yeah! Don't worry about it!"

"The dress still looks amazing!"

I looked over to them and put on my best thankful smile. "You guys are too kind!" I dared a glance back at the two MaRins and saw that they were pretty annoyed. It took all my will power not to laugh at their faces.

I opened the door to my apartment and quickly turned the lights on. I glanced at the leek shaped clock on the kitchen and saw that it was still seven. I had enough time to look for another dress.

As I made my way to my room, I saw that Hachune had fallen asleep outside on the balcony. Poor thing. I would of taken her inside and lay her on the couch or something but I was in a hurry. No time for being nice. Len was my top priority.

After I searched in my closet for any costume or dress that might work with my current hairstyle and accessories, I proceeded to change. When I was finally ready, I looked at the clock and saw that it was almost eight. I still had time left. Maybe Len was still back in Kaito's ice cream shop. At least that was what I was hoping. It would be troublesome if he were to be someplace else. I wasn't going to be able to find him!

"No, I _must _find him." I quickly walked towards my room's door, stopping for a second to check myself in the mirror, and then I opened the door.

I screamed in horror when I found myself face to face with a white haired girl. I immediately stepped back, almost falling.

"Who…Who are-" I spoke too soon. I realized who the person was. "What are you doing here?! Get out!"

On my doorway stood a girl with white curls. The hood of her black and purple coat covered most of her face, making shadows hide most of her features. But one thing that seemed to pop out was her dimly glowing red eyes. It was the girl who was always with Gumi.

"I told you to get out!" I yelled after seeing no reaction coming from her.

I walked up to her and slapped her across the face.

"Get out!" I furiously pushed her and she stumbled back a bit into the living room. I followed.

I was about to continue shouting at her and tell her I would call the city guards if she didn't get out this instant, but I was suddenly being held up in the air by the neck. I didn't see how it happened. She moved at inhuman speed. I grabbed her arm and tried to loosen her grip on my neck but I found myself soon running out of air. I tried screaming for help but all that came out was a low whimper. I began hitting and punching her arm out of desperation but I was getting weak fast. I felt my head swirling and my lungs burned, begging for air.

My body trembled in fear. As I looked down to her face, the only thing that terrified me the most was her stare. In her scarlet eyes I saw nothing. They were vacant and had no gleam of life. She stared at me as if I were nothing. As if my life didn't matter one bit.

I was about to loose consciousness when I heard little running steps. I weakly looked down and saw that Hachune was frantically hitting the girl on her leg. I had never seen any emotion on her face other than that same gaping expression, but for the first time, she showed desperation.

I suddenly felt myself falling and I hit the floor. I took a desperate and deep breath as I saw the girl taking Hachune by her arm and threw her to the wall. I didn't realize how strong the throw was until I saw her little detached arm and leg scattered on the floor away from her.

"NO!" I cried out.

The girl then grabbed one of my pigtails and I screamed in pain as she made me stand. She then grabbed my other pigtail and held both of them tightly.

"Let me go!" I felt tears streaming down my cheeks as I began sobbing. "Why are you doing this?!"

She pulled back my hair making me scream in pain and also making me take a step behind her. After that, with a strong move of her arms, she sent me flying across the living room. I felt myself crashing with the balcony's sliding door, making shards of glass scatter everywhere, and I flew over the balcony's edge.

I saw the night sky above me as I rapidly descended. The air's coldness felt like knifes cutting through my skin. I counted one floor, two floors, three floors… I felt like screaming but I didn't find my voice. I quietly fell and the only thing that crossed my mind was Len. His bright blue eyes and his cheerful smile was the last thing I remember thinking about before my body felt the impact of the fall. Everything ached and I heard people screaming. Someone shouted my name. It was Gumi's voice. A tear ran down my cheek as I quickly began to loose consciousness. Then, everything went black.

* * *

Sorry Miku fans… I know what I'm doing, everything's gonna be okay! Don't worry! I got it all planned out. And I just had to do Len singing that song. It was just too funny. And besides, what's Vocaloid without music? Thank you for reading and sticking around! Miku's death marks the beginning of the war…


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

**Gumi**

Everyone watched as Miku walked out of the store with an innocent smile plastered on her face, which everyone bought. I inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, calming my annoyance. She can be very superficial sometimes.

I licked my vanilla ice cream as I watched Rin accusing Gumo. She just went on and on… Ren had already stopped trying to calm her down and Gumo just ate his ice cream. I knew better. He was enjoying the moment watching Rin about to loose it. My eyes wondered around the store and noticed that everyone had already settled down. People got back to their seats and tables and continued enjoying their ice creams. And as for Kaito and Len, I didn't see them around. They must be changing back to their costumes. Kaiko was the one who was taking ice cream orders now.

"Evening everyone," Gakupo greeted, interrupting Rin's rampage. "I see Rin is… soaking wet and mad."

Gakupo wore a white samurai costume and his long purple hair was tied up in a ponytail. The katana on his hip was the real deal too, straight from his famous katana collection he doesn't stop bragging about. Though I don't actually mind him bragging, it's funny to watch. His face turns childish when he talks about it.

"Gumo ruined my perfect chance to splash Miku senseless!" Rin repeated for the one millionth time.

"Sounds fun," Gakupo turned my way and smiled. I smiled back.

"Hey, Gakupo," Ren said. "Can I see your katana?" From the looks of it, Ren wanted to get a hold of it too.

Gakupo proudly smiled. "Of course," he drew his katana and handed it to Ren. Lin quietly went and stood beside Ren, admiring the katana also. They continued talking about the sword while Rin went back to accusing Gumo.

I looked to my right where Miki was sitting and noticed that she looked uneasy. I could see that behind her black sunglasses, she was glancing around desperately.

"Miki, is there something wrong?" I whispered, not wanting to catch everyone's attention.

She got startled a little but then looked at me worriedly. "Where's Eri?"

I felt like I got hit straight in the gut. I looked around but got no sight of her. Wasn't she beside us just a few minutes ago?

_Please, not again_, I got nervous. I remembered when Eri disappeared the night of my birthday and Dell almost killed her.

I turned to Gumo and quickly asked him if he'd seen Eri.

"I don't think she ever came inside," he was now worried also. "I'll go check outside, excuse me Rin." He stood up from his seat, leaving Rin even madder and went outside.

I begged for her to be outside but after a minute, Gumo came back inside with an even more worried expression.

I abruptly stood up from my seat and shoved what was left of my ice cream cone into my mouth. "I'll go find her." I said between chews, getting a really bad brain freeze. "Gumo, I'll take the hover board with me. I'll be back later."

I exited the ice cream shop with my hover board in hand and quickly threw it to the sidewalk, making it turn on its engines. I jumped on it and quickly ascended as high as it could go. The streets were full of Vocaloids and it was gonna take too much time trying to get through while dodging them. I looked around, trying not to think of all the people starring at me, and tried finding Eri. No luck.

I leaned forward and flew around, taking my time to look at every possible spot. I was getting desperate. Dell couldn't have appeared and kidnapped her. With this much people someone was bound to notice. In a way, I was calm. I knew she was okay somewhere. And I hoped I was right.

I asked a few people. Apparently, nobody has seen a girl with white curly hair and a black and purple coat. I kept looking and looking and I suddenly started getting terrified. Eri wasn't anywhere.

"Eri!" I shouted. "Eri!"

_Where could she have gone?_ I felt a funny taste in my mouth. The one you get before you're about to throw up. _I need to calm down. I'm getting too worried. She's okay somewhere. I know it._

"Hey, you up there," a guy interrupted my thoughts. I looked down to see him. "You look like you're about to throw up. You should get off that hover board."

"Hey, have you seen a girl with white hair, black coat, lifeless expression and attitude passing by?" I asked, descending a little to the street.

"Don't think so. There are a lot of girls with white wigs and black costumes around today."

"No, no. This one in particular isn't wearing a wig or costume… she…" I regretted saying no to the cat ears Gumo wanted to make Eri wear. "Oh, forget it…"

"Wait, before you leave, was this girl you're talking about covered in confetti?"

"Confetti? Don't think so…"

"A few minutes ago, I saw a girl like the one you described all covered in the stuff heading that way." The guy pointed towards the next street.

"I guess it's worth a shot. Thanks"

I continued flying around on top of the crowd. Then I came upon a group of girls. One of them had white hair and a black coat and was covered in confetti.

"Eri?" I shouted. The girl didn't respond. I saw her turning around a little and laughed with another girl.

"Damnit!" Now I was desperate. "Eri!" I shouted again. Without warning, I felt my eyes beginning to build up tears.

I dashed forward. "Eri!" I continued shouting. "Where are you?"

Then it hit me and I immediately stopped the hover board. "Miku left the ice cream shop while supposedly Eri was outside. What if she went after her? Considering she always acted strange when Miku was around."

I turned my hover board in the opposite direction and dashed. Everything and everyone were a blur now. I was deep in my thoughts. I don't know what Eri is capable of. I never knew what went through her head, if anything did. From what I saw and observed of her, she always acted strange around Miku. That was sure to be a bad sign since she never acted oddly around anyone else. If she didn't like Miku, did she have a reason? Well, maybe she had. Miku is stupid. I was pretty sure of that. But I don't think Eri, being an Imitation, was gonna worry about something as worthless as Miku's idiocy. In fact, I highly doubt she was capable of worrying. Or worse, capable of actually _feeling_. I hope I am right about that because if not, then this was a very serious matter.

I turned a few corners, getting closer and closer to where Miku's building was. The streets were getting more and more deserted as I approached one of the city's apartment buildings sections. Everyone was downtown. When I turned another corner, I heard a familiar voice calling my name. I stopped and turned around to find Gumo turning the corner of a street I just passed.

"What are you doing here Gumo?" I asked in surprise.

"I came to help you look for Eri," he said between pants. "After you left, I kinda felt guilty for being careless." He smiled sheepishly.

I raised an eyebrow. "Kinda?" I mocked.

"Oh, alright. I felt guilty. My bad, okay?"

"Yep, your bad completely. Because of you I feel like throwing up now."

"Oh, don't be like that sis. I'm sure Eri's fine somewhere. I bet she got bored of always being with you." He chuckled.

"Ouch, that hurt you know." I punched his arm and laughed.

"Ow, that hurt more!" he said between laughter. "By the way, you hair's a mess."

Before I could respond, there was a crashing sound coming from the top of one of the buildings nearby. Gumo and I looked up, along with the other few people around. Something was falling. Then I heard people screaming. Right then, I realized that the person falling was Miku. My eyes grew wide in shock and instinctively, I dashed forward in my hover board.

I didn't get there in time. Before my eyes, just a few feet away, Miku crashed on the sidewalk. I heard how every bone in her body fractured itself, making a horrible cracking sound.

I jumped off my hover board and ran to where she had fallen. "Miku!" I shouted in desperation. I threw myself to her side and checked the pulse on her neck. She was dead.

My hands trembled. Every part of my body began shaking in dread and horror. I didn't get here in time. I had the chance to save her. She's dead and I felt as if it were my fault. People were screaming and calling for help and the city alarms activated. My mind began to zone out. I stopped hearing everything except for my heartbeat. My breathing got heavy and I felt that horrible taste in my mouth again as I saw how blood began surrounding Miku. Before I knew it, I was throwing up.

Another crash was heard, only this time it was bigger. I looked up and saw that the building was being cut in half from the inside by a red laser. I didn't have time to react. The building began collapsing.

Between all the screaming, I heard Gumo call out my name. When I looked back, I saw him running towards me with the hover board in hand. In a swift move, he picked me up and threw me on to the hover board and pushed it with all his strength. The hover board dashed forward, carrying me into safety, but Gumo stayed behind.

I saw how the building buried him along with a few other people. Dirt, smoke and debris covered the street. His name escaped my mouth and without thinking, I ran towards the disaster. I coughed and couldn't see because of the smoke. I called out his name again.

"Gumo!" Tears streamed down my cheeks. "GUMO!"

I threw myself on top of the bricks and chunks of concrete and began digging my way through them in a desperate attempt to save him. But I knew he was gone. My little brother was gone. All because he saved me from my demise.

I screamed and cried. I kept calling out his name, hoping for a miracle, but it was hopeless. He was dead and he wasn't coming back. I balled my hands into fists and hit the ruins bellow me as I violently sobbed. I cried for a long time but the tears didn't stop. I was dizzy and my head swirled with pressure.

In the distance I could hear police sirens. City alarms were also activating themselves in each street. I tried standing but my legs failed me. I didn't have enough strength. I felt drained.

I got startled when all of a sudden some chunks of concrete began moving a little farther away from where I was. The smoke was clearing up and I could see better. Before I could stand and go see what was moving, a red laser beamed and slashed all that was above it. I crawled away, sensing danger and hid myself behind a broken wall.

From bellow the debris sprung an arm. She came out slowly but I instantly knew who she was. I was gonna run towards her, glad that she was alive, but I stopped myself. My eyes grew wide in terror at the sight. She wasn't the same. Half of her face was torn off, revealing the machine bellow her skin and her shining red eyes. Razor sharp metal sprung from her back, arms and legs. One of her arms was now a blade and the other was some sort of gun like cannon.

"This day can't possibly get any better!"

I rapidly took my hands to my ears to cover them from the loud mechanical screeching sound. I felt a sudden shiver go down my spine as I recognized the voice. I didn't want to look back but my body didn't obey me. I turned my head and saw Dell standing right behind me, pointing the same gun like cannon Eri had as an arm.

He smiled at me with a wild look in his eyes and then fired. An electricity sphere came out of it and it hit me right on the chest. Everything in my body burned but I didn't have the strength enough to scream from the pain. I immediately passed out.

I awoke to the noise of alarms and screams. My eyelids felt too heavy. It took me a few seconds to open them just a little and when I did, I saw that there was fire and smoke everywhere. Alarmed, I sat up with the little strength I had, feeling a sharp pain deep in my chest. I clenched it tightly, having difficulty to breathe, and unzipped half my sweater. I saw that my chest was deeply burned with raw skin and it didn't look good.

My eyes glanced around my surroundings, looking for Eri. She was here before I fell unconscious. I felt very worried. Would she get hurt by other Imitations even though she was one of them? And why was she underneath all those chunks of concrete? Was she nearby when the building collapsed or was she by any chance inside? And was she the cause of that beaming red laser that cut the building in half? That was something that worried me a lot. And after I saw her like she was, with half her face torn off and those blades coming out of her and her arm turned to a gun, I asked myself what in the world happened to her. I didn't doubt that maybe she was indeed the cause of the building crash and the death of Gumo.

There was an explosion nearby. I looked back and saw a wall of smoke covering the street. From out of it came running two guys, both dressed in burned and torn costumes. Then, a blue sphere came out of the smoke and it hit one of the guys. It looked just like the one that Dell had fired at me with. The guy screamed in pain and collapsed to the floor. His friend stopped for a moment but continued running.

I was stunned for a moment but I quickly reacted. "H-Hey!" I called. "Don't just leave him there!"

He looked at me with a horrified look in his eyes. "He's dead! Run! You have to get out of here!"

"What's going on?" I struggled to my feet, keeping my hand on my burned chest.

"It's an invasion! They're killing everyone! Everyone's evacuating, we're outnumber-" Before he could finish, another blast came out of the smoke and it hit him right on his back. He screamed and fell unconscious to the floor.

I gasped and looked back to where the blue sphere had come from. From the smoke came out two girls. They both had straight white hair and were wearing the same black and purple clothes. They were an exact copy of each other and I realized quickly they were Imitations. A violent shiver made the hairs of my body stand. After Miki left Gakupo's apartment a few days ago, Gakupo told me that he worried that there would be some kind of war because of everything that Miki said about the Imitations and the scanning they did with Vocaloids. He also said that the Corporation probably created Miki as a weapon against the upcoming war. He said that they knew this was going to happen sooner or later so they decided on creating a war machine that could aid us and that's where Miki came in. Of course, I was very skeptical of everything he was saying but now I'm seeing it all with my own eyes and I felt extremely guilty and responsible for all of this. I should've said something. I should've went up straight to the Corporation and tell them about the danger everyone was in. I should've told them everything. This was entirely my fault.

I turned around and began running before being spotted by those two Imitations. I ran passed the now dead guy that tried to warn me and I quickly averted my gaze and tried not to look at his dead body. His words echoed inside my mind and something he said triggered a memory. Something Miki had told Gakupo and I came to mind: _"The stronger you are the lesser Imitations there will be based on you. If you're weak, there will be at least ten to twenty Imitation copies of you. If you're strong, there may be a couple or just one." _This was bad, real bad. If everyone in this city had at least three Imitations, it would be a disaster. But twenty Imitations from one Vocaloid data? It was a sure death for all of us. We couldn't possibly stand a chance with an Imitation army that big. We will all die and the Vocaloids will cease to exist.

My hover board was laying on the sidewalk bellow a few chunks of broken walls. I quickly threw them aside and took the hover board from underneath the remaining rubble. As I jumped on to the hover board, a blue sphere landed just a few feet away from me. When it hit ground, it created an explosion of blue lightning. I was spotted, but luckily, I managed to get away in time.

Every street I passed through was completely in ruins and chaos. There were dead Vocaloids everywhere and after a short while, I couldn't take it any more.

I abruptly stopped the hover board in mid air. "This is my entire fault," I whimpered and kneeled on the hover board, the strength from both my feet disappearing. I reached up and covered my face with both my hands and began crying uncontrollably.

At that moment, everyone who I ever knew flashed through my mind. The two blonds that always seemed to be arguing with each other, the teal pigtailed girl who everyone loved, the orange haired android who didn't know which side to choose, the black haired twins who were always telling me to finish my paintings, the ice cream loving man with his rainbow family, the woman with pink beautiful hair that I always admired and envied, the red drill-headed girl with her cell phone friend, the large breasted woman who was always drunk, my idiotic and yet lovable brother who was always telling me to look pretty, the lifeless girl who I grew very attached to despite her being the enemy, and finally, I couldn't just forget about the katana-crazy samurai.

Thinking about all those people who left their marks in my life made me realize that I didn't want to loose any of them. Even the ones that I didn't like one bit somehow managed to be a part of my memories that I can't possibly imagine living without.

Gumo appeared in my mind scolding me. It was a random image my mind made up and before I knew it, I began feeling a little better.

"_Just what in the world are you doing Gumi? Stop crying, none of this is your fault. Just get up, look for everyone, and get out of here!"_

A smile made its way on to my lips and I began cleaning my tears away with my sleeves. My nose was runny now and I was a hundred percent sure that my eyes were bloodshot red. What was I doing crying? I wasn't going to solve anything just staying here like a total idiot.

I put on my goggles which were wrapped around my head, stood, and started flying forward on the hover board again. "Thanks Gumo," I whispered.

The smoke coming from the building fires didn't bother my eyes anymore thanks to the goggles. I still had trouble breathing though. This time, I was heading back to the ice cream shop. There was a chance that everyone was still there safe and sound and I wanted to get reunited with them and together, make it out of this. When I turned the street's corner I abruptly stopped, almost flying off the hover board straight to the street. There was a very large group of Imitations firing at everything with their built-in arm guns. Blue spheres of electricity flew everywhere and unluckily, some of them saw me and began firing my way. I immediately flew as high as I could, barely dodging the shots, and flew forward at high speed. Before I knew it, every one of them was firing at me. It all looked like a fireworks show as the blasts barely missed me.

"Damnit!" I screamed as one of the spheres brushed the right side of my hair, burning half of it.

Without having a well thought plan, I flew close to a building, and as I thought, they kept firing. The blasts missed me but they all landed on the building. Before they knew it, the building broke down and crashed half of the Imitations that were on the street and I safely flew ahead. I couldn't keep myself from laughing out loud. The adrenaline was taking its effect on me.

I continued flying, almost arriving at my destination. I was flying past a street when I saw a woman running with a child hand in hand. An Imitation was behind, aiming its gun at them. I instinctively lowered myself and before the Imitation could fire, I shoved the base of the hover board on to its face, making it fly back ten feet and crash to the street. I looked back and saw that the woman and child were nowhere in sight while the Imitation lay on the ground with its neck broken and half its face torn off. I thought I was gonna break its neck off since I was flying at almost sixty miles an hour but it seems they are stronger than they seem.

After a few short minutes, I had arrived at the ice cream shop. Only one problem. The street was filled with dead Imitations everywhere and in the distance I saw a familiar figure fighting with the remaining Imitations. The person swung his katana at an amazing speed, slicing the Imitation's arm off. Another person helped him finish off the Imitation, slicing the Imitation's head off with a kusarigama. They were working with an amazing coordination, the perfect team.

I was happy that Gakupo was alright. I really was. But I felt as if I got stabbed in the back. Was I jealous that Luka was the one fighting along side with him and not me? Was that it? No, I wasn't jealous. I was disappointed at myself. After all, I'm not Luka. Luka will always be there for Gakupo while look at what I did. I went off searching for Eri without even saying a word to him.

Holding my tears in, I quickly flew over to the next street and continued my search. If Gakupo and Luka were holding the Imitations off, then that means that everyone must have fled this way. Along the way, I asked myself if leaving him with Luka fighting was the right thing to do. My mind screamed no at me over and over again. It ordered me to turn back and go get him but I didn't obey. I didn't want to. Was it pride? Was I too stubborn and blamed him for all the things I was feeling now? Heartbroken. Dissapointed. Humiliated. Ashamed.

_Keep going_, I repeated myself. _Just keep going._

It was okay. He was going to be alright. One thing for sure was that he'll survive. Luka was with him and she won't let anything happen to him. I wanted to thank her, so I decided. If I live through this, I will thank her for always being by his side and not let anything happen to him.

My thoughts were interrupted by a sudden explosion coming from the street I was just passing by. The impact sent me flying off the hover board and on to the sidewalk. I was blinded by the smoke and couldn't breathe. The smoke cleared quickly, and I could see what caused the explosion. In the distance, I saw Eri.

Happily, I struggled to my feet and ran towards her. I called out her name. She didn't respond of course but it was fine with me because at least I knew she was alright. On my way towards her, something caught my eye and I began slowing my pace until I completely stopped midway. At first I didn't want to believe what I was seeing. I blinked hard, thinking it was just some sort of dirty trick my mind was playing on me but it wasn't. What I saw made me want to scream in horror.

Eri's arm-blade pierced through Len's chest holding him up in the air. My eyes were wide in disbelief, still refusing to believe what I was seeing.

"Len…?" His name came out of my mouth in an almost inaudible whisper. But before I could say anything else, someone shot an electric blast and it landed just inches away from where I was standing. I turned around and found myself face to face with Dell.

"Look what we have here," he had a wild look in his eyes. "I thought I had already killed you. You survived. Lucky."

I was frozen in place. I didn't know what to think. I had never felt this terrified in my life and before I could react to anything and come to my senses, Dell moved and forcefully grabbed my neck. That's when I woke up from my daze and sdesperately hit and punched his arm.

"Let go!" I shouted, trying to make him loosen his grip. His cold touch against my neck made the hairs all over my body stand.

"Hm? What happened to you here?" he raised his arm-gun and placed it on top of the raw skin on my chest where his previous shot had hit. He pressed on it, making me scream in pain.

I continued punching and kicking him but his grip on my neck only tighten and I began having difficulty to breathe.

"Which one would you prefer? A quick death or a slow and painful one?" His insane smile sickened me.

"You can just go to hell!" I yelled at him, and managed to land a punch on his face. He didn't budge.

"A slow and painful one it is," he raised me up and my feet left the ground.

I couldn't breathe. No matter how much I punched and kicked, he didn't let go. My lungs burned and my head began swirling. I could see that he was enjoying seeing me slowly dying. He laughed as I struggled to get free. After a few long moments, my strength began to fade and my arms and legs became numb. I was unable to move them. All I could do was stare down at his face, remembering that first time he tried killing me. It was the exact same way.

My eyelids where getting heavier with each passing second. This was it. I was going to die here. They say that you see your life pass through your eyes when you're about to die but that is just plain ridiculous. Right now I couldn't even manage to get my thoughts together.

I couldn't hold on much longer. I felt myself slowly drift into unconsciousness. I knew I wasn't going to wake up. That's when I saw a sudden purple haired samurai appear with his katana in hand. As soon as he spotted us, he ran as fast as he could towards us. He was still too far away. I knew he wasn't gonna get here in time.

My lips moved, saying his name, but no words came out. I was happy that I got to see him before dying. He shouted my name, making Dell turn his head to look at him. Dell began laughing as he pointed his arm-gun at Gakupo. Fear struck me. I begged for him to stop and turn around and save himself but he just continued coming towards us. Tears began going down my cheeks. I didn't want him to die!

All of a sudden, there was a very loud explosion. It was too loud to be from a normal bomb. Then there was a very bright light coming from behind me. I couldn't see what was happening but Gakupo stopped and gazed at the light. Dell also turned his face to stare and his expression changed from amusement to horror.

"No…" the scarlet eyed man whispered. "That damn Miki!"

That was the last thing I remember hearing before finally closing my eyes. My last breath escaped my lips.


End file.
